Ginger

Zingiber officinale is one of my absolute favorite spices. Ginger has a uniquely spicy and sweet flavor. Aromatic, pleasing, and just a beautiful plant to look at. It's also surprisingly easy to grow, and I will tell you how.

The part of the ginger plant consumed is the rhizome. A rhizome is a partially buried stem that acts like a food store for plants. The rhizome grows over the course of the year and is best harvested when the plant dies back. Ginger is related to galangal, tumeric, and cardamom. Though I haven't actually grown these spices, I imagine that the technique would be similar. If I get ahold of them then I will definitely try and pass on the knowledge.

So, how do you grow these roots? Well, it's probably easier than one would think. They're all native to Southern Asia and are used to warm, humid environments. Well, again, speaking just for ginger, I have had luck growing a tiny little rhizome (about 1 ounce) into a very large rhizome (about 1.5 pounds). I just picked it up from a local grocery store, planted it in potting soil with a tiny mix of compost and put it outside during the summer. It shot up two leaf stocks and put on size until about October, when I brought it in. Its leaves died back and I kept it in over winter. I put it back out in April (which was a mistake) and it sprouted in July. I didn't harvest it the first year, but will be harvesting this year once it dies back. My recommendation for selecting an appropriate rhizome would be to look for one that doesn't have any large cuts or blemishes. Make sure it's not dried or cooked, it should be firm to the touch, not soft or flexible. I also recommend buying organic. This is for two main reasons; organic food is awesome (yes, I will do an entry as to why it is) and because I seem to have better luck growing seeds and roots/rhizomes/etc. from organic sources.

Ginger likes full sun, so try to give it 6+ hours of direct light a day. Water it normally, it seems to be pretty water tolerant so don't really worry about overwatering. Just water it like any other garden plant. For the Willamette Valley, where I live it seems to like to sprout around the beginning of July, so I'd say plant it in June (The valley is USDA zone 8). I think if you lived in a warmer climate you could probably put it out earlier. Although the plant will grow up to about a meter under good conditions, in my 3 gallon pot it tops out around 60 cm. Both years it's sent up two leaf spikes.

It grows reasonably fast, no pests that I've noticed. But one thing I'd love to see are ginger flowers. I have yet to get my root to do this for me. I have a feeling that the climate just isn't right to get it to flower. If I ever have any breakthroughs I'll post my findings.

Review-

Ginger (Zingiber officinale):

Soil: Potting soil with some compost.

Light: Full sun (6+ hours a day); grow outdoors.

Water: Water the same you would any other temperate plant in your garden.

Planting: I'd say the beginning of June in Zone 8; it will sprout in early July.

Pests: I haven't really seen anything bother it.

Harvest: Once the leaf spikes has died back.

Next week: My opinion on the Oregon Cannabis Act