Growing Ginger
I always wanted to grow ginger (Zingiber officinale) at least once to see if it is even possible here in NY. For those who are not familiar with this plant let me tell you it is a staple in many of the Asian cuisine. In tropical countries where ginger is grown year round it is recommended that rhizomes (the underground edible portion of ginger- it is actually a stem modification and not the root contrary to popular belief) are planted at 8-10 inches spacing (20-25cm) and about 2 inches depth (4-5cm). Each ginger rhizome that you choose to grow should at least be 15 grams in weight. I didn't weigh mine but choose the rhizomes based on number of eyes and about medium size. I also broke large rhizomes into smaller ones. (not too small....)
I started my ginger rhizomes indoors in early February so by the time temperature rises in late May hopefully it will be ready to be planted outdoors.
For almost 2-3 weeks I left the rhizomes in a med -large paper coffee cup with the lid on (there is a hole in the lid and I left that open for air circulation. I sprinkled water every few days to keep the humidity high. I left the paper cup horizontal with all the rhizomes inside and the lid attached. The dark humid conditions that we created will help the development of "eyes" /nodes in the rhizome which will later grow out as buds and leaves. Every week or so check for decay or any damages. After about 3 weeks when there are growth buds in almost every rhizome I moved it to a plastic tray partially filled with water for root and foliage development.
The picture below is taken a week or so after I moved them to the plastic container. If you don't have a plastic container at hand simply use a shallow take out food container like I did.
Close up view.
2 weeks into the plastic container with water.
It is almost ready to be planted outdoors. Hopefully the weather warms up by then.
I started my ginger rhizomes indoors in early February so by the time temperature rises in late May hopefully it will be ready to be planted outdoors.
For almost 2-3 weeks I left the rhizomes in a med -large paper coffee cup with the lid on (there is a hole in the lid and I left that open for air circulation. I sprinkled water every few days to keep the humidity high. I left the paper cup horizontal with all the rhizomes inside and the lid attached. The dark humid conditions that we created will help the development of "eyes" /nodes in the rhizome which will later grow out as buds and leaves. Every week or so check for decay or any damages. After about 3 weeks when there are growth buds in almost every rhizome I moved it to a plastic tray partially filled with water for root and foliage development.
The picture below is taken a week or so after I moved them to the plastic container. If you don't have a plastic container at hand simply use a shallow take out food container like I did.
Close up view.
2 weeks into the plastic container with water.
It is almost ready to be planted outdoors. Hopefully the weather warms up by then.
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