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Growing Ginger
Growing Ginger in the herb garden is best grown as a container plant unless you live in a very warm climate with an extended gardening season. Here's how to grow it in a USDA zone 4 or warmer garden.
In early March, go to your local supermarket and purchase a tuber or two of ginger. These are relatively inexpensive and are Zingeber officinale the common edible ginger. Plant it just under the soil surface in a good artifical potting soil in a 16-inch pot. I use clay pots because they are heavier and not as tippy as plastic. Remember this is a large plant.
Ginger is a plant that loves to be watered. Soak it thoroughly at planting. There are two watering systems you need to use. While indoors. Water with warm water only. Water and then wait a few days or until the soil is just damp to your touch. Do not let it dry completely out but do not keep it swampy. While outdoors. Water freely. Do not put it on a saucer so the drainage is free-flowing. I water mine almost every day and I soak it completely. It loves water during the heat of the summer. Feed every week with a half-strength houseplant fertilizer (balanced fertilizer - equal numbers) to keep it growing strongly. Overfeeding with nitrogen produces a soft rhizome.
While this plant is indoors, do try to keep it in as much sunlight as possible. The more the merrier. As soon as you put it outdoors though, the rule of thumb is as much sunlight as you can possibly give it but nothing direct between noon and five in the afternoon. That hot, direct sunlight will not make it happy while a bright filtered light will keep it growing strongly.
In the fall, allow the soil to dry out a bit for a few days and then dig up the tuber. You'll see the growing ginger tuber has expanded quite a bit and you'll be able to store it cool and dry for all the stir fries you can handle. You can continue to grow the plant but generally, it is far cheaper and easier to start with a new root every year. Growing ginger is well within the abilities of all gardeners - try it and discover how fresh ginger tastes. Click here if you have any questions about growing ginger
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