How to grow Ginger

Zingiber officinale · culinary ginger

A tropical herb grown for its pungent rhizome. It is killed by frost and needs warmth, humidity and dappled light; a mature crop takes 8–10 months, young "baby" ginger about 4.

Quick facts

Type	Herb
Family	Zingiberaceae
Light	Partial shade
Soil pH	5.5–7
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 20 °C
Germination	30 days
Seedlings ready	21 days
Sowing to harvest	240 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 7 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 240 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 5 days	10…35 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 30 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 60 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 90 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 120 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 150 days into the stage
Harvest	every 10 days	10…35 °C	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 4 days	10…35 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 30 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 60 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 90 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 120 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 150 days into the stage
Harvest	every 10 days	10…35 °C	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	10…35 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 30 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 60 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 90 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 120 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 150 days into the stage
Harvest	every 10 days	10…35 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Partial shade or dappled light; in full sun the leaf tips turn brown. In cool climates it can take full sun.

Soil

Loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, pH 5.5–7; cold, wet soil rots the rhizomes.

Care

Plant pieces with growth buds about 2.5 cm deep in soil above 20 °C and water lightly until shoots appear, then water regularly without letting the soil stay soggy. Feed monthly while it grows. In cool climates grow it in pots and bring them indoors before nights drop below 10 °C. Do not water pots while the plant is leafless and dormant.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.