How to grow your own ginger at home for cooking

Ginger is a great plant known for its health benefits and unique flavour. Ginger is used in many Asian dishes across the world and as a healthy herb in many teas.

Ginger has the unique ability to thrive in the house as well as outside and will provide you with an endless supply all year long. To grow ginger in your home your first step is to buy some.

It is best to purchase ginger from your local garden centre or seed catalogue. Ginger bought from the grocery store can work but may have spotty results, that often result in low-quality ginger.

The ginger from grocery stores are often sprayed with growth inhibitors to keep it from sprouting; these are the sprouts needed for growing ginger. Grocery store ginger can also be coated with pesticides and fungicides which can also affect their ability to sprout.

If you still want to try store bought ginger, soak it in a container overnight to get rid of some of the growth inhibitors. Ginger grows well in both partial shade and full shade which makes it perfect for indoor areas that often lacks the natural sunlight many plants require.

Growing the ginger

Choose a root that is thick and has tight skin; not one that looks shrivelled or old. The root needs to have eye buds on it.

These are bumps that look like potato eyes. If the eye buds are already turning slightly green that is even better.

Next soak the ginger root overnight in warm water so it is ready for planting the next day. Fill a pot with well rich, well-drained soil and stick the ginger root into the pot.

It is best to stick the root in with the eye buds pointing up in the soil. Cover this with 4-5cm of soil and water.

Put the ginger in a spot that stays warm but doesn’t get too much sunlight. It is a good idea to keep a spray bottle full of water near the plant so you can lightly spray it each day.

After about three we, ks there should be shoots sprouting out of the soil. Continue watering the plant each day with the spray bottle and keep it in its warm location.

Tiny pieces of the ginger root can be removed while it grows to use in cooking, tea, and herbal remedies.

Harvesting ginger

For the best results, ginger should be harvested 3-4 months after its initial planting; while this may seem like a long time to wait it is worth it if you want an endless supply.

To harvest it from your pot simply push aside the soil at the edges of the pot to find some rhizomes beneath the surface. Then cut the amount of ginger needed from one of the bulbous root fingers. Place the soil back on top of the severed root to keep the plant growing.

If you want to create a larger plant you can use the same process over and over with the roots from your own plants.