Growing Ginger

Zingiber Officinale : Zingiberaceae / the ginger family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions

  • Plant pieces of fresh root showing signs of shoots. Best planted at soil temperatures between 68°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 25 weeks. Reduce water as plant dies back to encourage rhizome growth.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Grow in separate bed

Your comments and tips

29 Jan 17, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It is fine just very fresh.
14 Jan 17, Shylock mhangwani (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
i in Limpopo in giyani i want to know if giyani has the right climate to grow ginger
11 Jan 17, Marion (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm trying to grow ginger for the first time in a greenhouse. The first shoot appeared about two weeks before Christmas. I have now realised the pot may be too shallow as it simplanted in about 25 cm of soil. Is it possible to transplant it to a deeper pot? How deep should the pot be?
12 Jan 17, Anna (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I found growing ginger to be most successful in a polystyrene box. It worked very well. I kept the box on the back porch and gave it plenty of water.
03 Jan 17, Trudy (Australia - tropical climate)
I have inherited a ginger crop from the previous owner of our house and have no idea how to harvest and replant. We bought the house in February 2016 and the ginger plant was about half a meter in height. I have not done anything until now and they have grown to about a meter in size but the leaves have been a bit damaged by grass hoppers. I dug up the crop to rebuild the vege garden and then replanted the crop in fresh good quality soil. Since then the plants have fallen over and don't look too healthy. Not sure if I should have planted them deeper or cut the whole leaf off and replanted the roots as described above. I am not sure how long they have been there but would really like to save them if possible. Any advice would be appreciated.
04 Jan 17, Chris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You didn't say when you did this, but disturbing the ginger before it died off in winter was your problem. At the moment all its energy is going into maintaining the leaves. I would chop them off or at least by half if some are still good and it will then try to save it's roots and ,maintain the ginger corm. It should then send up new leaves when ready. Keep it moist but not wet so,it doesn't rot. If by winter nothing has happened, dig it up and check the corms are healthy, split if big and replant. Edible ginger is better every two years as bigger corms form, which is when I divide. It freezes in alfoil also. Fresh ginger can be harvested carefully anytime from side.Hope this helps.
01 Jan 17, Sherrill (Australia - tropical climate)
Just wanted to say. My ginger crop originated from fruit shop bought ginger. A couple of pieces started to shoot. I cut them into pieces like you do with a sprouting potato and shallow planted them in a mix of soil and potting mix with a little sugarcane mulch over the top. The first crop was a bit ordinary when I harvested. I had missed some pieces and they have come up by themselves. This second crop is much bigger and better. The plants are much stronger too. I will now be growing ginger in my other garden beds as a rotational crop because ginger leaves the soil friable and ready to plant.
01 Jan 17, Scott (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks for your tips Sherril. I'm going to have a go at growing it myself but I think I'll be growing ginger in pots as I'm in Victoria and don't think it would survive our cooler months.
15 Dec 16, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
is December to late to plant ginger on the Gold Coast.
20 Dec 16, John (Australia - temperate climate)
December should still be OK in your area. Don't plant it too deep and make sure that drainage is good to avoid the rhyzome from rotting. Trust this helps.
Showing 341 - 350 of 488 comments

Hi I’ve been be lucky with a super strong ginger plant food ginger not decorative) that has been growing for ~>6 months, and bringing up new shoots. The main plant is now flowering and still has vibrant green leaves. Is flowering good or bad? What should I do wait until the plant dies back?

- Rakesh

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