Growing Ginger

Zingiber Officinale : Zingiberaceae / the ginger family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions

  • Plant pieces of fresh root showing signs of shoots. Best planted at soil temperatures between 68°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 25 weeks. Reduce water as plant dies back to encourage rhizome growth.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Grow in separate bed

Your comments and tips

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10 Jun 14, Peter Whangarei (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Where can I get viable roots for growing?
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22 Aug 16, (New Zealand - temperate climate)
We just put a piece of the ginger root from the supermarket. Does OK.
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10 Mar 15, Anika (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I have had ginger from the supermarket start sprouting before, just buy one and give it a go!
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21 Apr 12, anthea boden (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
i would like to know if i can grow ginger in tasmania in winter . i have some sprouting ginger. how can i keep it alive? thank you Anthea
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10 Feb 11, viv akhil (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Can ginger be commercially grown in hot houses in NZ?
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Showing 21 - 25 of 25 comments
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Hi Sara, You can! I grew it for a couple of years in a pot when I lived in Panania (low-on-space-rental) and also the last few years in the Hawkesbury. It grows well in Sydney, we got a bumper crop from just 3 store bought pieces, harvested a year later. We would have gotten even more kgs if I have know it doesn't like direct sun, ours was a little sunburnt. We ended up making about 100 bottles of ginger beer and sharing them around :-) I'm going to plant again this weekend, close to a nice warm fence but out of direct sun. I'm also going to experiment with water loving herbs as a ground cover. I hope this will increase humidity and allow me a second crop for the space. Since ginger is upright, I can plant a companion ground-cover. Maybe strawberries or tarragon? Something that can handle lots of water. Cheers and happy gardening, Michelle

- Michelle

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