Here’s How to Grow Ginger in a Container Right at Home (Video)

inger has been a popular plant for centuries, and it is believed that it has an Indian origin. It has been one of the two most commonly used spices throughout history, in fact, right after pepper.

People from all social classes enjoyed the amazing flavor of ginger.  For instance, Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) really enjoyed the appearance of gingerbread, which is still popular at Christmastime.

Ginger is one of those plants which can be perfectly grown at home, in a small container. Its zing flavor goes well in all sorts of meals, from baked goods to Asian dishes and desserts.

What’s best about this all is that it is extremely easy to grow at home, and you can have it at hand whenever you need it! Furthermore, it offers multiple health benefits!

This is how to grow it at home

Container Selection and Sprouting

You need a flat, wide container, as the roots grow horizontally. You can find the healthiest ginger plants in reputable nurseries and high- quality online gardening sources.

Yet, you can also buy them from local grocery stores. The latter might be coated with a growth inhibitor, which prevents it from sprouting or might have been treated with fungicides and/or pesticides.

Therefore, soak the purchased roots for 24 hours before you plan to plant them. The container should be filled with well-drained soil.

Slice the ginger knob into thin pieces, and the knobs with “eyes” on them, that is, with indentations in the surface of the root, should the placed into the soil, with the eyes facing up into it. Cover them with an inch and a half of soil.

Care

In the early stages, you should water the ginger well, or spray the soil enough to keep it moist. After several weeks, it will sprout.

When the weather is warm, you can keep the container outdoors, and when it is colder, keep it inside the house, as frost will destroy it. It should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

The ginger plant will be mature after 8 months, so you should separate the rhizomes by pulling off a part of it, including a piece of the rhizome. To transplant it, you can set that rhizome into a new container of soil.

Harvest

You can start harvesting the ginger after 3-4 months, even though it is mature after the 8th month. Its edible part is actually the rhizome, and you can clean off the roots as you clean the rhizome to eat.

You should uncover a piece of it, trim off the extensions, and enjoy it. Harvest it whenever you wish in this way.

Yet, before consumption, rinse it well, peel the skin off, slice it or grate it, and add it to your meals.

You can also slice it into thin slices and dry them on a baking sheet in an oven or outside in a dry, sunny area for several hours or days. As soon as it is dry, store it in plastic bags. You can grate in into a coffee grinder and enjoy this delicious and healthy spice!

Source: www.gardeningchannel.com
Other included sources linked in Gardening Channel’s article:
gingerwoodnursery.com
Video source: ehowgarden