I looked in my vege box the other day and found that my wonderful fresh locally grown, organic ginger had sprouted a few eyes (are they called eyes? They had sprouted a bit like a potato does, at any rate) and since it seemed to want to grow - I decided to give it a go and see if I could get it to grow.
After a quick google search, I decided it was possible and set out try growing ginger as an edible plant rather than a ornamental plant as is usual here in the subtropics.
Here's what I did...
Score card:
Green-ness: 5/5 for growing your own food.
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for growing your own food without spending a cent!
Time cost: Less than ten minutes from pantry to garden. A week to see a shoot. I'll let you know how long it took to get a bit of ginger out of it!
Skill level: Basic gardening!
Fun-ness: Great fun - even more, if I do get some real ginger out of it!
After a quick google search, I decided it was possible and set out try growing ginger as an edible plant rather than a ornamental plant as is usual here in the subtropics.
Here's what I did...
The first step seem to be a bit like potato chitting - you cut the tuber up into bits with a decent eye (the grow-y bit) on it. I used my garden secateurs and it worked just fine.
I chose a tub in my vege garden that is one of the most shaded ones and gave it a good water and added a fair bit of compost
I popped the ginger pieces in the soil with the "eye" sticking up.
Then gave them a decent water and popped the wire cage back over the top to protect them from marauding chickens and hungry possums. I also popped a bit of shade cloth over the top.
The ginger is in the centre tub.
I was very surprised to see green shoots less than a week later!
Its been hot and humid in the last week, which I think has helped along with the shade.
Only three of the seven pieces I put in have sprouted so far. I'm not sure if its the bigger pieces of tuber that have grown or it was one ginger tuber and not the other. Maybe it was the bits with the bigger "eyes" that have grown. I didn't take enough note when I planted them.
Planted Mid Summer, January 11, 2014 - Brisbane, Australia.
Watered daily. Shaded as our temperatures are up around 30 - 35 degrees daily with blazing sun and no rain at the moment.
Jan 16th - 2 green shoots showing.
Jan 18th - 1 more shoot showing!
I'll update it this post as they grow and let you know what happens
* update Jan 25th - got another very small shoot 1 week later making 4/7 strikes
Also lots and lots of overcast days and a bit of rain every second day is probably helping
* update Feb 3rd - another small shoot 5/7 strikes!!!!
See the tiny new one at the front right?
Green-ness: 5/5 for growing your own food.
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for growing your own food without spending a cent!
Time cost: Less than ten minutes from pantry to garden. A week to see a shoot. I'll let you know how long it took to get a bit of ginger out of it!
Skill level: Basic gardening!
Fun-ness: Great fun - even more, if I do get some real ginger out of it!
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