Ginger is one of the most powerful and beneficial root plants you can buy, but what if you could have an endless supply grown right at home? Ginger can be expensive to purchase, and that's why growing your own is highly recommended. Not only that, but growing your own ginger ensures that there are no pesticides or other harmful ingredients. Today we'll show you how to grow ginger in pots and get a truly endless supply!
How to Grow Ginger in Pots or Containers
Step 1: Soak the Ginger
Most ginger roots that are sold in stores are coated with a growth inhibitor which prevent them from sprouting. To get rid of that, simply soak your ginger root in water for 24 hours.
Step 2: Look for Growth Buds
After having soaked them for 24 hours, take them out of the water and look for growth buds. The sprout will grow on the indentation of the surface of the root. If you ginger doesn't have any buds, simply leave it near a windowsill until buds start sprouting. This may take a few days.
Step 3: Choose a Pot or Container
Ginger roots grow horizontally, so we suggest a wide container. Make sure the container is more wide than deep, and has good drainage. Now, fill that pot or container with good draining rich potting soil.
Step 4: Plant Your Ginger
Select some pieces of your ginger root that have “eyes” on them. Place the piece of ginger with the “eyes” facing up into the soil. Now cover it with an inch of soil.
Step 5: Care
In order for your ginger plant to grow, place the container in indirect sunlight. This is why ginger is perfect to grow indoors because it does not like wind or direct sun. Water regularly, making sure soil is always damp but never soggy.
Step 5: Harvest
Have some patience because it will take about 8 months for your ginger plant to fully grow, but you can still harvest the ginger rhizomes after about 3 months. At this point, you can separate the rhizomes by pulling off a section of the plant. You can also transplant easily by following the same steps as above.
Happy Planting!
Thanks for your instructions. I leave my ginger root in my car in the hot spring sun and it sprouts new buds. I then transplant them. I will soak these babies before I plant them — or is that the horse after the cart?
That should work Roseann 🙂
I love the idea of growing my own ginger. Do I need to use a potting soil that does not have fertilizer? Or is Miracle Grow potting soil OK?
Hi Teresa!
You can use potting soil with fertilizer in it OR you can use Miracle Grow as well! Either or should work just fine 🙂
I would not use Miracle Grow any other synthetic chemical fertilizers since they are basically a salt that builds up over time especially in containers which will prevent absorption into the plant. Use organic fertilizers which will not burn and can be applied anytime, anywhere.
How tall and wide do these grow?
Hi Donna,
Ginger will only grow about 2-3 feet in height, and so a 14 inch pot will easily accommodate 3 ginger rhizomes in height as well as in width.
I grew ginger that I brought from Hawaii and it definitely gets HUGE. I had to keep putting it in larger and larger pots. Not sure where you get “will only grow 2-3 feet/ 14″ pot”.
Good info & better presentation than others! Read somewhere that the rhizomes should be planted in sand–not true?
Hi Francine,
The variety of ginger you may have read about is actually called sand ginger, and grows primarily in sand. I believe for that to work, you would need to purchase specific sand ginger rhizomes!
Are all types of ginger edible?
Hi Julie,
I’m not sure. I’m only familiar with the edible type that you would see in a store or that you would grow at home 🙂
WOw, I can wait until I started growing veggies when I move real soon.
Hi Granicia, Since you’re growing it in pots, why not start now and take it with you?
How do you know when it’s ready to be harvested?
Hi Evette,
After planting, you can start by harvesting small pieces after 3-4 months. Generally though, it will take about 8 months for a full harvest.
How do you actually harvest? I planted 2 pieces in June and they are about 2 feet tall.
Do you dig up the entire plant, take what you need and put it back in the ground?
Hi Peggy,
You can harvest the entire plant all at once, but if you do that, do not put it back into the ground. Or, you can just (very gently) pull the rhizomes apart and only harvest what you need, leaving the rest in the ground.
What happenings after it reaches harvesting time? Can you simply let the original ginger stay in the pot to let it grow again or do you need to stay over with a new piece of ginger. Thanks!
Is this a tropical only plant? i.e. must it be indoors? I live in Savannah and the winters are quite mild (bananas and citrus survive the few days of freezing weather here). There’s lots of shade in my yard…could I plant this outdoors? Does it flower?
Hi Martha,
You should be able to successfully grow ginger in Savannah, especially because it is a subtropical climate. But, they do need lots of light, so I would try and see if you could find a sunny spot for the plant.
In the presentation it says that Ginger does not have to be grown in the Sun that makes it a good indoor plant to grow.