Ginger is one of those exotic spices that’s a total game-changer in the kitchen. And here’s a little secret: even though it’s a tropical plant, you can actually grow it yourself in cooler climates! Propagating your own ginger is surprisingly easy, and I’m going to show you how.
Forget the Seeds
Theoretically, you could grow ginger from seeds, but you’d have to buy them every time. In its native tropical home, birds and insects handle the pollination, leading to little berries that contain seeds for growing new plants. Outside of those regions, we usually don’t have the right pollinators around, so the flowers don’t produce seeds.
Another hurdle? Ginger rarely blooms when grown outside its natural habitat. It takes nearly a full year just to grow the rhizomes (the roots we eat), and the plant only flowers under perfect conditions—specifically high humidity. Most of us home gardeners can’t mimic a tropical rainforest perfectly, so seeing a ginger bloom is pretty rare.
Propagating from Root Cuttings
The good news is that ginger is incredibly easy to propagate using root cuttings. You can literally just use a rhizome from the grocery store! If you leave a piece of ginger in a warm spot for a while, you’ll start to see little green nubs or “eyes” popping out. Pro tip: keep an eye out for the discounted ginger at the store that’s looking a bit old and already sprouting—that’s actually exactly what you want if you’re planning to grow your own ginger.
If you have a large rhizome with several sprouts, you can cut it into smaller pieces to get multiple plants. Just make sure each piece has at least one “eye.” If you do cut it, let the sliced ends dry out for a few days to callus over before you put them in the soil.
You’ll want to start the pre-growing process as early as January, and get those roots into the soil by February. You can start them in pots and then move them to your garden or a greenhouse later. A greenhouse is actually a great choice because it helps maintain that humidity ginger loves. However, keeping them in pots makes it much easier when it comes time for overwintering your ginger indoors.
