Growing Ginger

Ginger has a lot of health benefits. It helps the digestive system, helps alleviate nausea and it can also act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent. With all these benefits, have you ever thought of growing your own ginger? Ginger, scientifically known as Zingiber officinal is a very simple herb to nurture. So surprisingly simple that you can probably find a start at the grocery store. We are not referring to the tropical ginger with flashy blooms that you see in tropical photos, but rather the ginger root variety used in gingerbread. Growing your own means you can use it fresh or even opt to dry it.

To get started, find an organic piece of ginger root with eye buds forming, just like the eyes on a potato and this should get you going. It is straightforward to cultivate in a container or in the garden, However, Ginger has a few quirks for growing well which are: warmth, partial shade and moist, rich soil. If you have these elements, you are good to go.

Get a ginger root (known as a rhizome) at the store. Be on the lookout for eye bud swellings. If you have a big root with several eye growth buds, break the root into a number of pieces, each with an eye bud and plant all of them. Find and dig a spot in the garden, or make use of potting mix and fill a container full. Plant the ginger an inch or two beneath the soil, and make certain the eye buds are pointing up. Cover the root and water. A one foot pot can take two roots, while larger containers can handle one or two more. Plastic is better since roots can get stuck in terracotta. Be sure you keep the rhizomes moist, out of direct heat and wind. Ginger plants grow slowly. They will eventually reach a height of 2 feet or more in a container but could grow up to 3 feet in a garden.

Harvest your rhizomes at any time after a number of months, but the longer you keep the plant growing the larger your harvest will be. If your ginger has been growing for some time you might find the roots quite a bit larger by the time you harvest. Good Luck!

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