Grow ginger and turmeric

How to start

• The best time to plant ginger and turmeric is October in warm areas and November in cooler areas.
• To get started, all you need is a fresh, young, undamaged piece of ginger or turmeric rhizome (root).
• The rhizomes can be cut into smaller pieces (5–10cm) with at least one or two buds.
• Plant these pieces about 30cm apart, just below the surface, in a well-drained, compost rich soil.
• If growing in a container, choose a 30–40cm wide pot, which can accommodate three rhizome pieces, and fill with a 50:50 blend of premium potting mix and compost.
• In tropical regions, it’s best to plant in part shade to avoid the intensity of the hot summer sun.
• In cool southern areas, use black containers, which will absorb the heat, and place your pots in a greenhouse or a warm, bright room indoors to get your plants started. Once the weather warms, move your pots outside to a warm sunny spot.
• During extreme heat, move containers to a cooler spot until it passes. Similarly, if extremely cold weather returns, shift containers back inside.

Growing

• Freshly planted rhizomes are susceptible to rotting, so let the soil or potting mix dry out between watering. Once shoots appear, gradually increase watering to keep plants moist.
• Cover the soil with straw or sugar cane mulch to retain soil moisture.
• Applying a little blood and bone or pelletised chicken manure every six weeks will boost your yield. Give potted plants a small handful of one of these organic fertilisers every month to ensure healthy, steady growth.

Harvesting

• There’s usually something to harvest by late summer. Just use an old knife to plunge into the soil and cut out a piece of rhizome, leaving the rest in the ground to continue growing.
• To harvest the largest rhizomes, wait until early winter, about eight months after planting.