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 20°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 15 cm 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

11 Nov 19, (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Try an on-line search 'Growing ginger in NZ'
24 Jun 20, Huiarei Reihuia (New Zealand - temperate climate)
After the harvest season, can ginger be left in the ground for following season of growth?
25 Jun 20, Anonymous (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Gardenate does not suggest growing ginger in NZ temperate climates, maybe not warm enough. If you are going to try to grow it read the notes here, your answer is in the notes.
21 Mar 23, Helen Johnston (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I had a piece of ginger which began to sprout so planted it for fun and grew on a window sill in our shed. It got to about 2 feet tall so I dug it up and got some juicy little corms or bulbs or whatever, which tasted lovely.
06 Nov 23, Bridget kor (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
My ginger was growing well after getting a piece of my neighbours established plant. We have had a very wet winter and after dieing right back it has not resprouted. Neither had the neighbours. Did the wet do this? Should I lift the bulbs and replant it?
Showing 21 - 25 of 25 comments

I bought my ginger from a supermarket and seems to be growing well. I selected the small pieces with the bumps looking undamaged. These bumps will be the growing points. Make sure that the part of the ginger that was attached to a large piece is dry and crusted over before planting else it may just rot away. I think it was 8 pieces I planted and 6 have sprouted. Took a while to see results so patience is required. Best started, one piece per pot. I used plastic drinking cups with drainage holes. Don't over water. Keep soil damp but not wet.

- Karen

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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