Growing Guide for Ginger & Turmeric

Bedding Down

If you can’t begin sprouting your seed immediately, rhizomes can be stored at above 65° for several weeks. Definitely start sprouting by mid-April. To sprout your ginger or turmeric stock, spread 3" of good potting soil in a crate or other well-drained container, arrange the rhizomes on top so they aren’t touching, and add soil to cover by a few inches. Our seed ginger is already cut into planting-sized pieces; for turmeric, snap off some of the larger “fingers” and plant the main rhizome with a few of the smaller “fingers” still attached. Nutrient-rich potting soil such as Vermont Compost Fort Vee gives them a great head start.

Germinating

Keep the soil in your bedded-down crate of ginger or turmeric rhizomes at 80° with a heat mat or in a heated greenhouse. Direct sunlight is helpful, and the heat is crucial. Go light on the watering; especially before sprouts appear, the rhizomes won’t take much water. Only when the soil is dry to the touch should you sprinkle it lightly. Ginger and Turmeric are sensitive to overwatering at this stage, but most sprouting failures are due to low or fluctuating temperatures.

Planting Out

In New England and New York, we don’t recommend trying this outside of hoophouses or under other cover. After the last frost, or in early to mid-June, when hoophouse soil temps are above 60°, dig a 6"-deep trench down the center of a 4'-wide bed. Fertilize well with the nutrients your soil demands—ginger and turmeric are hungry crops, so you may need to sidedress. Plant out sprouted seed 5" apart and cover with several inches of soil. Water in.

Hilling and Cultivating

Hill soil over the crown of the plant where rhizomes begin to show pink. Hand-weed. Water lightly before foliage is established. Once your ginger has recovered from transplant shock, and especially in the hotter days of July and August, water often and liberally.

Harvest

Harvest as late as possible before freezing to achieve the greatest yield. For chunky rhizomes, wait until mid-October to dislodge the huge clusters from your hoophouse soil. We’ve found that bagging baby ginger in ¼- or ½-lb bags is the easiest way to get a fair price for this special item.