ABC Organic Gardener Magazine latest issue magazine cover.
new issue on salenow!
How to grow organic ginger

How to grow organic ginger

Story by

Fresh organic ginger is expensive to buy, but incredibly easy to grow. PHIL DUDMAN shares his tips.

Anyone can grow culinary ginger. It’s true, ginger prefers a subtropical to tropical climate, but even gardeners in cooler areas should have a go.

 

All you need is a healthy plump piece of ginger to get you started. Prepare a well-drained soil in a sunny spot – it will also grow in semi shade in warm areas – and add plenty of compost and well-rotted manure. Mound the soil to improve the drainage and bury a piece of ginger – any size – about 5cm below the surface. It will start to shoot late September/October – depending on where you live. Keep it moist and in 5-6 months (end of summer) you’ll be harvesting something 5 times the size – but you need to plant now to make the most of the warm growing season.

I’ve grown ginger very successfully in a pot – so you don’t even need a garden. This is a really good option for gardeners in temperate to cool areas, because you can place the pot on a concrete or paved surface in front of a north facing wall to help create the warm conditions this plant likes. If it gets too hot mid-summer, move it to where it will get shade for part of the day. You need a pot at least 30-40 cm diameter – a black pot would be best for absorbing heat – and enrich the mix with compost, and a well-balance organic fertiliser. Give it a go!