Ginger is considered to be a fairly easy plant to grow (given the right conditions). Last year’s ginger harvest affirmed that for me!

In my experience, the major keys to success were warmth and time – lots and lots of time. To jump start the ginger growing season this year, I pre-sprouted my rhizomes in our indoor nursery. To sprout my ginger, I filled trays with my pre-moistened, standard seed starting mix of coconut coir, vermiculite, and worm castings. I laid the rhizomes flat inside the trays and covered them with 1-2 inches of starting mix. The trays were loosely draped with clear plastic (to trap in moisture), placed on a heat mat (to maintain warm soil temperature), and stored inside my DIY grow rack greenhouse tent (to increase ambient temperature).

Ginger can take 2–6 weeks to sprout, depending on growing conditions. I began noticing sprouts popping up from the trays after Week 3.

I’ll let the sprouts continue growing in the trays for another month before planting outdoors. By having sprouted ginger to plant this Summer, I’ll gain a month or more on the growing season. Additionally, I’m planning to do three things differently this yr.

1. I’m growing my ginger in container pots to free up my raised bed space for other crops during ginger’s long growing season.
2. I’m growing ginger in partial shade to try to mimic its native growing conditions in the tropical understory to reduce heat stress + foliage burn.
3. I’m able to water the plants consistently during dry spells to maintain its desired soil moisture.

May all of these attempts to dial in my ginger growing this year pay off in a beautiful and bountiful ginger harvest. Ashe🙏🏾