Everyone Loves Ginger

Everyone Loves Ginger

Joseph Parish

Everyone loves the taste of fresh ginger in cookies, cakes, stews and even drinks. Some people even use this wonderful vegetable for fighting off those winter colds. During our recent trip to the Dover Produce Junction we picked up one of their Ginger Roots. Incidentally, it is not a root but rather a Rhizome. People often mistakenly refer to it as a root.

Growing store-bought ginger is a quick and simple method to have an abundant supply of ginger at any time. Growing it requires a little bit of preparation, but it can be done. Imagine having ginger growing freely in your yard, or on your kitchen window sill, nothing could be better. The only problem with this thought is that in Delaware you cannot grow it outside since the products is only safe in zones 9 through 11. The only investment on your part is one month of your time waiting for it to sprout.

Many people say you should use an organic ginger to ensure success in your growing. When I purchased my ginger, I did not know if it was organic or not however in the case of the grocery store ginger it really does not matter. I have found that it is not necessary to use an organic rhizome to have this experiment work. The grocery stores do not employ any sort of anti-sprouting chemicals on the ginger like it generally used on potatoes. This means that any rhizome bought from a store will successfully sprout as long as the right conditions are met.

When you visit the market to select your ginger pick out the best one you can find. Usually ginger is sold in the store in a large box, thus you are able to rummage through the box until you locate one to your liking. Select the one which is reasonably plump and at least two inches by two inches in size. Try to find ones which have nodes on it as they are more likely to sprout than those without. Get your ginger ready to plant by allowing it to rest on your countertop until the nodes start to grow. This part of the process could entail several weeks – just be patient. You will know instantly when they are ready as the rhizome will swell up and turn a yellow/green color. It will look much different than the one you purchased. Keep it on the counter with lots of sunlight. Do not give it any water as it starts to shrivel up.

Once the rhizome starts to sprout, cut it into pieces, leaving an eye on each piece, very similar as you would do for a potato. Make sure that each piece has one growing node. Finally, allow the cut ends to heal for several hours before you plant it.

Since the ginger is not a root but rather a rhizome you will need to plant it close to the surface. Also ensure that the sides of the rhizome are completely covered with soil, however, do not put it completely under the soil and avoid putting soil on the top. Ginger is an excellent candidate for planting in a pot. Just provide it with plenty of room to grow in the pot. Ginger needs constant water and should never be dried out. Be aware that ginger is a tropical plant and enjoys a humid environment. With that in mind, you may wish to place a Ziploc bag over the plant until it starts sprouting well. It does exceptionally well on an inside kitchen window edge. When fertilizing the plant use a good compost or manure once a month.

It will take eight to ten months for the ginger to grow. When your ginger is mature you can harvest it at any time. Since it spreads quickly, the longer you leave it the more you will have growing. If you attempt to plant it outside try and protect it from the cold during the winter months. During the winter season the above-ground portion of the plant will die back. Additionally, don’t allow it to sit in water during the winter or the rhizome will rot. In our area it would probably be best to dig it up in the winter.

An alternate method that you can experiment with is to take a fat, fleshy section of ginger with plenty of nodes on it. Break it into pieces with one node per piece. Lay them flat in a container and cover it with 2 inches of moist potting soil. Keep the pots moist and warm and watch for sprouts in a few weeks. Harvest rhizomes by digging them up when they reach the desired size.

We will be planting the ginger today and will continue our updates on here as it sprouts and grows.

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