How to grow ginger at home

Before planting ginger, you’ll want to choose the right variety for you. One of the prettiest to grow is Zingiber officinale. It has tall stems with big leaves and dramatic feathery flowers.

A word of warning: not all ginger plants or rhizomes are edible. You can plant the fresh ginger you buy at the supermarket or greengrocer – or check online for yummy varieties to impress your friends and family.

To harvest the best possible ginger, you’ll want to mimic the warm and humid conditions it thrives in. One way is to grow the ginger in a large pot, as the soil will be warmer than in a garden bed. Wrap the pot if it’s cool to keep the soil from getting cold, or place it in a warm, sheltered spot and move it around to make the most of growing conditions.
Ginger doesn’t like frost, strong winds or poorly drained soils. In temperate regions, always harvest the root as it won’t appreciate getting cold and wet in winter. In tropical regions, you can harvest and replant regularly to keep it thriving.

While ginger is happiest in a tropical climate, you can grow it as an herbaceous perennial through spring and summer in temperate regions.
In temperate zones, start by preparing a well-drained sunny section of a garden bed and enriching it with organic matter and compost. Cut ginger rhizomes into sections, so each is at least 3cm long and has an ‘eye’.
Let the pieces dry out for a few days so they heal over. Then plant the segments approximately 20cm apart and 5-10cm deep. Green shoots will break through the soil for each plant. Keep watering until the green stems start to die down in autumn and then harvest.

Ginger can be sliced or grated for stir-fries, soups, sauces, sweets and savouries. Try making a herbal tea by steeping ginger in a teapot. Look for different varieties of edible gingers to grow, as each will have a slightly different flavour or bite. They’re spectacular plants to grow for their foliage and flowers, too.