Ginger is a strong, potent herb that can be used either fresh and dried to complement food dishes. Commonly used in sushi recipes, health drinks and tea, ginger is said to help reduce pain and ease stomach aches and to boost metabolism. Ever wonder how to grow ginger indoors? Ginger can easily be grown inside and harvested year-round. Read on to learn tips for growing ginger indoors.
This warm-climate plant grows year-round in USDA plant hardiness zones 9b and above, but gardeners in more northern climates can grow ginger in a container and harvest the spicy roots year-round. Although you can start any time of year, spring is the optimum time for planting ginger in a container.
About Ginger
Ginger is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of leaves) about one meter tall bearing narrow leaf blades. The inflorescences bear pale yellow with purple flowers and arise directly from the rhizome on separate shoots.
Uses
Ginger is a very popular spice used worldwide; whether it be used to spice up meals, or as a medicine, the demand for ginger all over the world has been consistent throughout history. Ginger can be used for a variety of food or medicine items such as vegetables, candy, soda, pickles, and alcoholic beverages.
How to Grow Ginger In a Pots
Buy a piece of ginger the size of your thumb with several bumpy nodules at the tips — these are the buds. Opt for plump chunks, not those withering in their own skin. The skin on the delicate buds should be thinner and lighter-colored; forego pieces with darkened buds.
Like potatoes, conventional ginger is irradiated and treated to stop it from sprouting at the supermarket. That means it won’t sprout in your home, either. Choose organic.
Sprouting
This is the hardest part. Ginger takes its time getting started. To speed it along, create a terrarium using a takeout container with a clear lid. Choose one just a few inches larger than your seed and punch drainage holes in the bottom.
Put an inch or two of potting soil below the seed and sprinkle just a half inch above. Water well. Replace the lid, but don’t seal it. Maintain the soil at 70 degrees and moist to the touch, watering only when the soil dries. A sprout will emerge in six to eight weeks.
Planting in a pot
Prepare a deep pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. Keep in mind that the thumb-size chunk may grow into a 36-inch plant at maturity, so look for a large container. Fill the pot with a loose, rich, well-drained potting medium.
Soak the ginger root in a bowl of warm water for several hours or overnight. Then plant the ginger root with the bud pointing up and cover the root with 1 to 2 inches of soil. Water lightly.
Be patient, as growing ginger in a container takes time. You should see sprouts emerging from the root in two to three weeks.
Place the container in a warm room where the ginger root is exposed to indirect sunlight. Outdoors, place the ginger plant in a spot that receives morning sun but stays shady during hot afternoons.
Harvest
Hold the greens at their base, where they emerge from the soil and lift the entire rhizome. Snap off a chunk of the rhizome, then place the rest of the plant back in its pot, sprinkle on more potting soil or compost, water heavily, and treat it gently for a few days. Like any fragile transplant, protect it from glaring sunlight and wild temperature swings for a few days while it recovers.