Growing Ginger

[wellie]

I'm so ashamed of my attempt at growing/rooting the ginger that started shooting in my kitchen, that I'm not even going to tell a single soul about it. I'm just going to sulk very quietly in the corner and take notes of all your successes and try very much harder, whenever I am next blessed with anything that remotely resembles a house or a kitchen en france.... "Bring it ON...!"

[milliebecks]

Coincidentally I went to a friend's house at the weekend and he proudly asked me if I could 'guess what this is'! It was a ginger plant, about 3 ft tall, growing and flowering in his garden ..... in November!
Pretty flower, a bit like a group of miniature bird of paradise, with a really intense, sweet smell.
Not sure how big the root would have been - he didn't seem very keen to dig it up

[HeyWayne]

Excellent!

Thanks for the thread Carl ,and the advice Mat.

Guess what I'm having a go at next year...

[shirlthegirl43]

I wouldnt worry about waiting till next year. If you find a sprouting bit, plant it and see what happens. The plant on my kitchen windowsill is now 3 foot plus and looking quite happy. Sometimes they seem to take ages to get going so if you are growing it in the house, time of year shouldn't matter much

[HeyWayne]

I wouldnt worry about waiting till next year. If you find a sprouting bit, plant it and see what happens. The plant on my kitchen windowsill is now 3 foot plus and looking quite happy. Sometimes they seem to take ages to get going so if you are growing it in the house, time of year shouldn't matter much

I'll need to buy some ginger with the intention of planting it. Any we buy for general consumption gets eaten pretty quick.

Is it worth mixing in a good deal of sand to help drainage given that it seems to prefer not to be too wet?

Edit: just found this:http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/ginger_grow_it.html

[shirlthegirl43]

I use a mix which is half seived multipurpose compost, quarter perlite and quarter vermiculite. Planted it last year as it was sprouting (first year of growing anything and prepared to give all sorts a try). Used the same compost type this year as it had worked last year.

[Mrs Dobby]

We've 2 plants at the moment, planted back in Feb, the first one has 3 shoots and is just about dying back now, the second has 2 shoots and is still green, both are about 3' tall and both in 12" pots, once the 1st one has completely died back then we are going to dig it up n see whether its worth growing or not for us!

[greenlung]

I've got one in the bathroom, about 2 ft tall, which grew from a small piece of sprouting ginger which I planted in a 6" pot a few months ago. I've kept this one quite shady, having killed a couple before with direct sunlight. Hoping it'll last the winter.

[silverfork]

I managed to grow some last year on one of my woefully slender windowsills (so smallish pot unfortunately), west facing. It was OK, and I did use it, but it was very small. Quite nice and potent though. Great advice from Mat, but sadly I don't have that kind of growing space.

[sallym]

I've just planted a piece of mine which i found sprouting. Greenlung, I will follow your guide and once it has grown a bit I will transfer to my bathroom. Seems an ideal place if it likes high humidity.

[Alice]

Mine has made about 6 shoots about 12 " tall. The best I've ever managed thanks to Matt's advice. I think they are starting to die back now. The proof of the pudding will be is there any ginger there. Fingers crossed.

[lynda66]

Pretty flower, a bit like a group of miniature bird of paradise, with a really intense, sweet smell.

this may be a strange question, but what colour were the flowers? i don't do ginger but it might be worth growing if the flowers are a nice colour

[Alice]

Hello Lynda, I think ginger comes in 2 forms - culinary and ornamental. Ornamental ginger can have various flower colours but is unlikely to do well in our climate. Culinary ginger does insignificant greenish flowers once the plant is about 2 years old. Mine are in their first year so haven't done any. The plant's looking good so I'm hoping to get some kind of crop from it around Christmas. If not I'll just overwinter it for next year.

[Ader1]

How did your ginger growing go? I am hoping to give it a go. I would also well in fact more so....like to try and grow some galangal which is related to giner but I can't seem to get any in the shops around here in west Wales. I am also thinking of trying some turmeric which is also related. I like cooking Thai food. ;-)

[Llamas]

Thats it. Must have a go. There is a square inch of windowsill space somewhere in the living room- how could I possibly consider leaving it naked?