Overview
What ginger needs, when it crops, and whether it suits your space.
The ginger in the shops will grow: choose a plump, firm piece with swollen buds, start it somewhere warm in spring, and it sends up tall, leafy stems. Ginger is a tropical plant that needs a long, warm season, 8 to 10 months to mature. In cooler climates, grow it in a pot and dig tender baby ginger in autumn.
Quick facts
- Botanical name
- Zingiber officinale
- Soil pH
- 5.5 – 6.5
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
- Temperature
- 20 – 25 °C
- Hardiness
- USDA zone 9a and warmer
- Time to harvest
- 240 – 300 days
- Height
- Up to 120 cm (47 in)
- Propagation
- Division
Optimal growth
Survives −6 °C
Growing details
- Spacing
- 20 cm (8 in)
- Sowing depth
- 25 mm (1 in)
- Frost sensitivity
- Frost tender
Growing calendar
- Start indoors: February, March, April
- Plant out: May, June
- Harvest: August, September, October, November
In a cool climate: rhizome pieces in warm compost in late winter or early spring. In a cool climate, once nights stay above 10 °C (50 °F). Frost-free gardens plant outdoors from February or March (UF/IFAS). In a cool climate, baby ginger from late summer; mature ginger when the tops die back in autumn.
Is this plant right for you?
- Great in pots
- Likes partial shade
- Needs warmth
- Long season
- Grow from shop ginger
- Frost tender
- Few pests
Good to know
Keep it above -6 °C (21 °F): frost kills it. It does well in a pot indoors or out, so you do not need a bed for it.
Before You Grow
Choose a plump rhizome with plenty of buds, and a warm, humid, partly shaded spot.
Unless your winters are frost-free, grow ginger in a pot so it can come indoors for the cold months.
What you need
A fresh ginger rhizome
Plump and firm, with swollen buds. See choose your ginger.
Warmth to start it
A warm windowsill, heated greenhouse or propagator. See where it grows best.
A wide pot
Wider than it is deep. See containers.
Rich, free-draining compost
With plenty of organic matter. See soil.
A bright, warm, sheltered spot
Out of hot midday sun. See where it grows best.
Liquid feed
For the growing season. See feeding.
Choose your ginger
Ginger is grown from pieces of rhizome, the knobbly underground stem sold as ginger root, not from seed.
From the shop. Fresh ginger from a greengrocer or supermarket will grow. Choose a large, plump, firm piece with many swollen buds, or ‘eyes’, at the tips of the fingers; buds already turning green are even more likely to grow (UW-Madison).
Organic is better. Shop ginger is often treated with a growth inhibitor. Organic pieces sprout more readily, and soaking any piece in warm water overnight helps (UW-Madison, Texas A&M).
From a grower. Seed-ginger rhizomes from a specialist supplier, or pieces from another grower, are a good alternative to shop ginger (UF/IFAS, Texas A&M).
Relatives. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) grows the same way. Ornamental gingers are grown for flowers (UW-Madison).
Where ginger grows best
Ginger is a tropical plant from humid, partly shaded forests. It loves heat, humidity and rich soil.
Temperature. It only grows when the soil is above 20 °C (68 °F), and grows best around 25 °C (77 °F) (UW-Madison). Frost kills the top growth.
Hardiness. In the ground year-round in USDA zones 9 to 12 (NC State, Clemson); UW-Madison says 8 to 12. Elsewhere, grow it in a pot and bring it indoors once nights fall below 10 °C (50 °F).
Light. Bright shade in warm climates: 2 to 5 hours of direct sun (Texas A&M). UF/IFAS finds more than a couple of hours of strong sun scorches leaf tips in Florida, though plants still grow in full shade. In cool climates, such as Wisconsin, plants do well in full sun.
Shelter. Out of strong and cold winds.
- Grows when soil is
- Above 20 °C (68 °F); best near 25 °C (77 °F)
- Direct sun
- 2 to 5 hours in warm climates
- Bring indoors
- Nights below 10 °C (50 °F)
Soil and compost
Ginger wants loose, loamy, rich soil that drains freely, so the rhizomes never sit waterlogged (Texas A&M). Penn State gives pH 5.5 to 6.5; NC State lists it as tolerant of a wide range.
In the ground, dig in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure first; UF/IFAS uses an even mix of sand and manure, and a raised bed at least 20 cm (8 in) deep on Florida’s thin, rocky soil.
In pots, use a rich, free-draining multi-purpose compost.
Mulch in-ground plants to keep the soil warm and moist and weeds down (UW-Madison).
Planting
Sprout rhizome pieces in warm compost in early spring, then pot them on or plant out.
Start rhizomes somewhere warm, not in a cold garden. See [where it grows best](#conditions).
When to plant ginger
Plant in early spring, so the plant has the long season it needs: 8 to 10 months to full size.
In cool climates, start rhizomes indoors in late winter or early spring, in warmth. Move plants outside only once nights stay above 10 °C (50 °F), and bring them back in by mid-autumn.
In frost-free climates, plant outdoors in spring once frost is past but before the heat of summer: from February in central and south Florida, March in the north (UF/IFAS).
- Start in early spring.
- Outside only above 10 °C (50 °F) at night.
- 8 to 10 months to maturity.
Sprouting ginger
Start pieces in a tray somewhere warm; roots form first, so be patient.
-
Soak the rhizome
In warm water overnight, to wash off any growth inhibitor.
-
Cut into pieces
2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) long, each with at least two buds. Or plant the piece whole.
-
Let the cuts dry
For a few days in a warm, dry spot, until they callus over. This prevents rot (UW-Madison, Gardeners’ World).
-
Set them in warm compost
Buds up, in a tray or pot, covered with a couple of centimetres of compost, at above 20 °C (68 °F).
-
Water lightly until shoots appear
It can take a few weeks: the rhizome grows roots first. Too much water now rots it.
Planting ginger
Pot on sprouted pieces, or plant them in a rich bed where it is warm enough.
-
Choose a wide pot or a warm bed
Rhizomes spread sideways. See containers.
-
Plant shallowly
About 2.5 cm (1 in) deep (UW-Madison, UF/IFAS); Texas A&M plants up to 10 cm (4 in). Keep the shoot above the surface.
-
Space them
15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) apart (Texas A&M, UGA); UF/IFAS allows 38 cm (15 in) in beds, where clumps spread.
-
Water in
Then keep the soil just moist.
-
Harden off before going outside
Over a week or two, stand pots outside by day in a sheltered, shady spot and bring them in at night.
-
Top up
Add compost around the stems as they grow (Gardeners’ World).
Care
Watering, feeding, pots, and bringing ginger indoors for winter.
Move pots indoors once nights fall below 10 °C (50 °F).
Care by growth stage
Sprouting
Soil: above 20 °C (68 °F)
Warm, and barely moist until shoots show. See sprouting ginger.
Leafy growth
Feed: liquid, every few weeks · Humidity: mist in dry air
Late summer
Water: reduce in autumn
Rhizomes fill out. See watering.
Autumn
Harvest: when tops die back
Bring pots in before nights fall below 10 °C (50 °F). See overwintering.
Winter
Rest: dry and cool
Dormant. See overwintering.
Watering ginger
Keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy: cold, wet soil rots the rhizomes (NC State).
At first, water lightly until shoots appear.
In growth, water regularly so the compost stays just moist. In dry air, mist or spray the leaves (Texas A&M).
In autumn, water less, which encourages the rhizomes to fill out (UGA).
When dormant, don’t water pots at all; start again when new shoots appear (UW-Madison).
Feeding ginger
Ginger likes rich soil with plenty of nutrients (UW-Madison).
At planting, add a slow-release organic fertiliser if the soil isn’t rich (Texas A&M), with extra phosphorus if a soil test shows it is short.
While growing, give a liquid feed every few weeks, unless the soil is very fertile.
Yellowing leaves in the growing season may mean the plant needs feeding (Penn State); see problems for other causes.
Ginger in containers
In most climates, a pot is the best way to grow ginger: it can go outside in summer and come in before the cold.
Size. Wide rather than deep: UW-Madison fits three average rhizomes in a 35 cm (14 in) pot, as plants don’t mind being crowded; Penn State prefers at least 46 cm (18 in) across and 30 cm (12 in) deep. Allow for stems 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) tall.
Compost. Rich and free-draining.
Care. Warm, bright shade; see watering and feeding. Container plants rarely flower.
Growing and overwintering indoors
Ginger grows as a house plant in a warm, bright room, and a pot can spend summer outside and winter in.
Bring it in when nights fall below 10 °C (50 °F) (UW-Madison), or in mid-autumn (Gardeners’ World).
Dormancy. Short, cool days make the stems die back. Leave the rhizomes dry in the pot, or dig, clean and keep them in a paper bag somewhere cool and dry. Don’t refrigerate rhizomes you mean to replant.
Spring. Warm and bright again, the plant sends up new shoots. You can dig all or part of the clump every year or two.
Problems
Rhizomes that won’t sprout or rot, scorched or yellow leaves, and natural die-back.
Common ginger problems
Ginger has few pests (UF/IFAS). Match what you see to its likely cause.
Rhizome won’t sprout
- Growth inhibitor
- Cold
Treated shop ginger, pieces without buds, or soil below 20 °C (68 °F). See sprouting ginger. Shoots can take weeks.
Soft, rotting rhizome
- Wet
- Cold
Too much water before shoots appear, or cold, wet soil. See root and rhizome rot.
Brown leaf tips, poor growth
- Dry
- Sun
Check the compost first: browning tips can mean it needs more water (Penn State). If it is moist, too much direct sun in a warm climate is likely: move to bright shade (UF/IFAS).
Yellowing leaves in summer
- Hunger
May mean it needs feeding (Penn State). Yellowing with curling and wilting points to bacterial wilt; in autumn, it is the natural die-back before harvest.
Stems dying back in autumn
- Dormancy
Normal as days shorten and cool. Harvest, or keep the rhizomes dry over winter.
More problems with ginger
Common diseases
Root and rhizome rot
Cold or wet conditions rot the rhizomes (NC State). Plant in free-draining soil and don’t overwater, especially before shoots appear and when dormant.
Bacterial wilt
Leaves yellow and curl, then the plant wilts. The main disease of commercial ginger but rare in gardens; discard affected plants (UW-Madison).
Harvest & Use
Digging baby or mature ginger, then storing and using it.
Harvesting ginger
You can dig ginger at any stage; the flavour changes as it matures.
Baby ginger. After about four months, the young rhizomes are juicy, mild and tender, with a thin skin that bruises easily (UW-Madison). This is the usual crop in cool climates.
Mature ginger. At 8 to 10 months, or once the tops die back in autumn, the rhizomes are hotter, drier and more fibrous, with a tougher skin.
How. Dig or tip out the whole plant, or cut off part of the clump and replant the rest. Handle rhizomes gently: bruised skin spoils.
Young shoots are edible too, with a milder flavour (NC State, Clemson).
- Baby ginger from about four months.
- Mature ginger when the tops die back.
- Handle gently; the skin bruises.
Storing and using ginger
Drying the skin. Let dug rhizomes dry in the shade until the skin firms up (UF/IFAS), then brush off the soil.
Fridge or freezer. Unpeeled ginger keeps up to 3 weeks in the fridge or 6 months frozen (Texas A&M); thaw frozen pieces as needed (UF/IFAS).
Using it. Slice or grate into stir-fries, curries, soups and tea; young ginger needs little or no peeling. Peel mature ginger with the edge of a spoon (Clemson).
Propagation
Replanting pieces of your own crop for next year.
Growing next year’s ginger
Every ginger plant is grown from a piece of rhizome, so your own crop gives next year’s plants.
Keep the best pieces. At harvest, set aside plump rhizomes with plenty of buds and replant them promptly in warmth, or store them dry, not in the fridge, until spring (Texas A&M, UW-Madison).
Or leave some in. In frost-free gardens, thin the clump instead of lifting it all; the rest sprouts again as the weather warms (UF/IFAS). Where hard freezes are possible, UF/IFAS mulches the bed well or grows ginger in pots.
Divide as for a new start. See sprouting ginger.
More to Explore
Short answers, guides that pair well with ginger, and the sources behind this one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow ginger from supermarket ginger?
Yes. Choose a plump piece with swollen buds, ideally organic, and soak it overnight. See choose your ginger.
How long does ginger take to grow?
About four months for baby ginger, 8 to 10 months for mature rhizomes.
Does ginger need sun?
Bright shade in warm climates, with 2 to 5 hours of direct sun; more sun is fine in cool climates.
Can ginger grow indoors?
Yes, in a warm, bright room. See growing indoors.
Why won’t my ginger sprout?
Cold compost, a growth inhibitor, or no buds. Keep it above 20 °C (68 °F) and be patient: roots come first.
Can ginger survive winter outside?
In USDA zones 9 to 12, or 8 to 12 by UW-Madison’s reckoning. Elsewhere, bring it in once nights fall below 10 °C (50 °F). See growing conditions.
Why are my ginger leaves turning yellow?
In summer, it may need feeding; in autumn, it is natural die-back before harvest. See common problems.
Will my ginger flower?
Rarely in pots. Clumps need to be at least two years old to flower.
Related guides
Sources
- Ginger (opens in a new tab) UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
- Zingiber officinale (opens in a new tab) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Ginger, Zingiber officinale (opens in a new tab) University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension
- How to grow ginger (Zingiber officinale) (opens in a new tab) Clemson Cooperative Extension
- Ginger: 2023 Herb of the Year (opens in a new tab) Penn State Extension Master Gardeners
- Growing ginger and turmeric at home (opens in a new tab) University of Georgia Extension
- Easy gardening: ginger (opens in a new tab) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- How to grow ginger (opens in a new tab) BBC Gardeners’ World