Home Grown Ginger

[smilingcat]

ginger is a subtropical to tropical plant. Most of of US will require to bring them in in late fall and put them out in late spring. Its one plant I have had no luck!

When picking ginger at a store for growing, look for ones with lots of "eyes" small pale yellowish colored points. This is where the new shoots start to grow. It does like loamy soil with good drainage. one year old rhizome is not as hot nor is it as stringy inside. when the rhizome gets older, they tend to get much hotter.

Delicacy part of the ginger and highly sought (expensive in Japanese store) is the part of shoot that is nearly white with reddish outer covering and where it attaches to the rhizome. It is mild but still with bit of crunch. Doesn't have the hotness of the rhizome. Just crunch and eat the white part of the stem. The part that is still underground.

My uncle said it was easy to grow and so did a friend of mine. I just have had no luck... they were puzzled why it always failed me.

Malanga or is it Galanga. That would be a root you slice up and season a Thai soup Tom Yum I think. Soup is hot taste wise but very good.

 

[Arielle]

Malanga--I think SandHill lists those in their catalog--will need to relook.

I gues I should ask then what kind of soil the ginger likes. Who uses what for potting method? I need to buy potting soil--so what do I buy. I have a huge pot, hmm maybe not a good idea, too big. Need to see what else I have to plant the rhizome into. . .

 

[erinszoo]

We grow ginger in pots with just the same soil we use for our raised bed, compost, sand, peat moss, and top soil mixed. They can not tolerate any cold weather and will die back if it freezes. They can be brought inside or in a garage for winter and then put back out in the spring. Don't plant them in anything too large as they like to be root bound a little. Any root you find in the grocery store will work for a start but make sure it has a shoot on it first. And don't bury it very deep.

 

[nok13]

my husband just sticks them in to the ground and hopes they grow... he does everything food related, thai village style i.e. just sticks in ground and waits... or broadcasts teh seeds and waits... we've tried papayas for four or five years and every year they die off with frost or snow that catches us by surprise... one year someone gave us galangal rhizomes, and they rotted...

i will try ginger again, now.. (its february here but mostly the end of winter, march will have a bit of cold days, we almost never get frost, so now is the time)...

 

[flgardengirl]

Here is a photo of a Malanga leaf. It is a Xanthosoma. Looks similar to regular green elephant ears (EE/taro/colocasia). They are thicker waxier and marbled more than the common elephant ears though. I grow all different kinds of EE's (colocasias) as well as alocasias and a few others in that family.

Pic of the whole Malanga plant. I had this one in a huge pot and it did great- ended up about 7 ft tall with all the composted chicken manure I put on it lol.

Here is another Xanthosoma plant. A different variety aka Mickey Mouse Taro and I don't think its edible but its kinda pretty (note the one with the variegated cream/yellow and green leaves)

 

[flgardengirl]

Here is another ginger plant that I have called Kaempheria Grande. This one is mostly grown for the pretty foilage and known as one of the "peacock gingers'. It does have pink flowers but the flowers emerge from the ground after the plant has been dormant for the winter. Then the leaves come after the flowers die off.

 

[Aragon]

My store bought ginger rhizome just came up about a week ago. I have a greenhouse setup in my garage. The ginger is growing alongside my hydroponic tomatoes.

 

[destinduck]

Im sticking my storebought ginger in the ground today. Flgardengirl, that taro looks like angel trumpet I have. I love all your plants and photos BTW . You got it going on! Thanks so much for sharing. I also have to find some of those red passion flowers you have .I have the blue and purple varieties.

 

[flgardengirl]

Cool

 

[flgardengirl]

Thanks destinduck! I don't know which I like better, plants or chickens. The chickens probably win but I am still crazy about plants too lol.
The 'taro' is in front of the angel's trumpet

I have tons of brugmansia , (aka angel's trumpet) many of mine are double, triple and quad flowers - love them, they are so fragrant at night!!

Here is a video link to some of the brugmansia that I have. This is from about 3 years ago so I have way more varieties now including many of my own hybrids that I have created.