Ginger

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Ginger
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ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 7:37 am Post subject: Ginger
Hi, I bought some root ginger to use in my cooking, but then never got round to using it (I know I kept planning to but time just disappeared!). Anyway now it's sprouting. I've about 3 or 4 good shoots. Can I plant it? If so how? When? What does it like etc Thanks Karen

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 7:49 am Post subject:
I remember seeing some growing at Kew (in the palm house) many years ago and it was planted with the tubers visible, lying flat on the soil surface. Can't remember what the soil type was, but it's definitely NOT hardy here. However, I se you're in France: how cold does it get where you are?

ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 8:50 am Post subject:

hmmmm flat seems strange as mine are growing along the length of the root not at an angle to it, if you see what I mean!

We can get pretty cold here, we actually had enough snow to get snowed in last year (yeah!) but there're colder areas in France then ours. Mostly I just tell friends we get a bit warmer weather then the south of england in summer and in bit colder weather in winter. I know as a committed gardener I should be able to say we got down to -5 or -10 last winter but I just don't remember...

I think I'd probably keep it in a pot if possible and it could always overwinter in my unheated g/house.

snowball
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 6246
Location: swindon

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 9:01 am Post subject:
I've planted some in a pot on the windowsill. Plant it with just the top of the tuber sticking out of the top of the compost. Water very sparingly. It grows quite high, and tends to go dormant when it thinks it is winter. Mine are currently about 18 inches high.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 9:06 am Post subject:

It will like it hot, moist and humid I expect as it's a tropical plant. It should do well in a greenhouse or poly tunnel in a largish pot I'd have thought. Ginger is easy to get to start growing but I've found it hard to get it to produce much, but I've mainly planted it at the wrong time.

I would think planting frost free in the early spring and then left in a greenhouse over summer for autumn harvesting should produce something usable so I'd suggest keeping your bit frost free but coolish so it doesn't grow much for a couple of months.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 9:49 am Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

I remember seeing some growing at Kew (in the palm house) many years ago and it was planted with the tubers visible, lying flat on the soil surface. Can't remember what the soil type was, but it's definitely NOT hardy here. However, I se you're in France: how cold does it get where you are?

Thanks for the tip----put some in a pot under glass but buried it a couple of inches----I'll go and dig it up!

aussie

Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Australia

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 1:26 pm Post subject:
One little-known aspect of ginger is it's flower- it produces sprays of largish creamy white highly scented flowers. Very attractive, but as said earlier, it needs warm conditions.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18421

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 1:35 pm Post subject:
I've heard of it being successfully grown up here in a heated conservatory. However, indoors in a pot further south was not enough to get the sprouty bits to do anything, though, various attempts ended in rotted ginger root.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 1:54 pm Post subject:

aussie wrote:

One little-known aspect of ginger is it's flower- it produces sprays of largish creamy white highly scented flowers. Very attractive, but as said earlier, it needs warm conditions.

I think the commonly eaten ginger Zingiber officinale would be very hard to get to flower but there are several hardy gingers that do flower easily in the UK. We've got one that's survived outside in the ground for 3-4 years and has flowered when grown in a pot in the greenhouse. I wonder if these hardier gingers are also edible?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 1:59 pm Post subject:
Yes some are, this is the UK specialist for ginger and bananas: https://www.kobakoba.co.uk/

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 3:09 pm Post subject:
please dont post websites like that-----desperately trying to economize----I can resist anything but a plant/seed Iwant

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 3:10 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Yes some are, this is the UK specialist for ginger and bananas:

https://www.kobakoba.co.uk/

Wow. Excellent site. Do you know which ginger would be reccomended to grow here in the UK (outdoors would be easiest) and get a useable root? Looking through that site I see various possibilities...

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 3:19 pm Post subject:
I'm going for the zingiber mioga----that is definitely the last plant for this year-----my O.H. has taken to hiding fruit catalogues

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 3:22 pm Post subject:
I've been looking at this site for 3 years now, haven't bought anything yet cos I know once I start I'm going to spend far far too much there.

aussie

Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Australia

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 07 8:10 pm Post subject:

Another plant to try is Galangal, the ginger-type reddish root which gives Thai curries their distinctive taste- it would be available from Asian greengrocers, I imagine, it's sold in supermarket fruit and veg sections here, and grows from a root section, like ginger. The leaves are used to wrap food in for grilling, and the roots as I mentioned. Grows fast, but again, needs warmth.
Treacodactyl, ginger will flower anywhere you can grow corn.

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