{"id":1070,"date":"2020-09-23T17:08:34","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T21:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplestead.com\/?p=1070"},"modified":"2020-09-24T04:25:38","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T08:25:38","slug":"growing-ginger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestead.com\/?p=1070","title":{"rendered":"Growing and Harvesting Ginger at Home (with Video and a Peak in My Fall Garden)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hi everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s finally fall here in Northwestern North Carolina. After the intense heat, humidity, and heavy rains we’ve had for the last two months, this weather is an amazing gift. I just wish I could wrap it up and share it with the West Coast for awhile to help all those brave people out there coping with this especially challenging fire season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of you who can’t garden at the moment, need a little distraction, or are already planning for next year, let me share some seasonal highlights from our homestead garden and details on growing and harvesting ginger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garden and Greenhouse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fall not only brings great weather to my region. But it’s is an exciting time in the garden and in the greenhouse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

My dent corn, that I use for polenta, is nearly dry on the stalks. Sweet potatoes are swelling to enormous size underground and will be ready to harvest in a week or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Late planted stands of sunflowers are bowing their heads with the weight of their plumping seeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A colorful display of drying beans are fattening on the vine even as the plants continue to flower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Every few days I am harvesting winter squash as they mature to store for later use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And all my cool season crops — mustard, turnips. spinach, collards, kale, Chinese cabbage, and more — are practically doubling in size each day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also just started lettuce in the open bed area my greenhouse. I’ll start another round of greenhouse lettuce in about a month when I harvest my ginger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, though, a quarter of my greenhouse is occupied by a rather stunning ginger jungle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Since my ginger is clearly begging for attention, practically climbing the walls and out the door to get it, I want share some fascinating things I’ve learned about growing ginger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing Ginger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ginger requires about 9-10 months of warm growing time to produce fat, juicy rhizomes suitable for long-term storage and to save for “seed” next year. Baby ginger can be ready in 6-8 months depending on your conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginger Growth Cycle<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For most of its growing period, ginger is a tidy little house plant in appearance. But toward the end of summer, as daylength declines the leafy stems grow like trees, towering to heights of 5-6 feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When that growth spurt happens, ginger plants also get extra hungry for nutrients, water, and every bit of light they can access. Especially indoors or in a greenhouse, you’ll even notice those tall stems tilting toward the sun, like sunflowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginger Rhizome Production<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That’s because in their final phases of development, as they move toward full reproductive maturity, ginger begins putting enormous amounts of energy into rhizome production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhizomes are the part of ginger we typically eat. However, the leafy stems are also lightly flavored and can be chopped up in salads when young and tender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those rhizomes are also the reproductive portion of the plant. Similar to planting a garlic clove, a portion of a ginger rhizome can produce an entire new plant in the right growing conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to learn more about how those rhizomes develop in the ground, come with me on a quick trip to my greenhouse. I’ll also give you a few tips on when to harvest ginger for fresh use and long-term storage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note, since I have a greenhouse I grow most of ginger in there. But I also grow smaller quantities of ginger in my house and in the ground in my outdoor garden. So, don’t let a lack of greenhouse space keep you from growing ginger at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n