Question To all you ginger growers :)

Geo

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Hi all, it's my first year growing ginger. While I live in a temperate climate, I managed to make it work and grow 2 beautiful ginger plants in 2 pots.

2 days ago I've noticed new shoots from the root of my plants:

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Is this worrysome? Should I harvest the tubers now? I was under the impression I can grow them indefinitely and just cut/rip from the tubers when I need it.

Maybe I should also mention that the main stem has been growing nicely for almost 2 months now.
 

spector

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I am also in a temperate climate and have an Earthbox with a bed of ginger in it. I let the shoots die back in the fall before I harvest any. Just leave some behind and it will sprout again next spring. The more you leave, the stronger the bed will become, if you move it into a larger container, as the rhizomes will spread below the surface. I keep mine outside, on the north side of my house, as the temps regularly hit high 90's F here in the summer. They do great all spring and summer, then go dormant really quickly. Very little below-freezing nights here, but we have a few every winter, and the plants (and a few more) always come back the next spring bigger and stronger. If this is your first year, you might want to let the bed have a bit of time to establish (kind of like asparagus or ginseng) and wait until next year to start harvesting.
 

Geo

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Just leave some behind and it will sprout again next spring.

So there's no danger in harvesting/taste even if I allow new shoots to come out?

I watched Epic Gardening's video on ginger growth and he mentioned that if you keep the plan warm it should grow all year-round. This is what I going for - not letting it die back but keep it alive and harvesting. I keep it inside with a lot of light but a more regulated temperature.

if you move it into a larger container
Yeah I need to get to doing that :D
 

spector

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No danger, but the rhizome is what is providing energy to the shoots, so if you want a continual supply, you should let it get a bit bigger before you start harvesting any. If you want to try a taste this year, I would try carefully digging at the far edge until you reach the rhizome and just take a tiny bit from the end. But really, you would just be tasting the original rhizome that you planted. It probably hasn't had time to grow much yet.

I have my plant outside, so it goes dormant in late summer/early fall. I know some plants will die if you force them to remain active, because they just can't continually exert that much energy into growth year-round. I don't know if ginger is like that. Epic Gardening is great, so if he says you can grow it year-round, I would put stock in that. (But I would also Google it.) I don't watch the YouTube channel, but I have the podcast. Gardening in little nibbles, as most of the episodes are just a few minutes.
 
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DivingTemptress

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I spoke to a turmeric and ginger farmer in Florida who waited till year 3 to dig up, divide and sell. I grow mine in containers, so I divided and replanted / tasted after year 2. The rhizomes were very small, but numerous so I split and doubled the # of pots. Last year had larger and at least 5 times the bounty !

Happy Gardening !!
P J, the Dirt Diva
 

spector

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I just planted ginseng this year, and I have a ramp bed that I started last year. Both of those are 4-5 years before you can even THINK about harvesting.
 

spector

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Asparagus beds take several years to establish. The first year, you will get little thin spears, but you can't harvest them, because you will exhaust the roots and kill the bed. So you just have to be very, very patient.
 

Geo

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Asparagus beds take several years to establish. The first year, you will get little thin spears, but you can't harvest them, because you will exhaust the roots and kill the bed. So you just have to be very, very patient.
Oh I see... thank you :)
 

spector

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Thought you might like to see this. This is my "bed" of Myoga ginger. It is grown for its edible flowers, rather than its rhizome. This bed is three years old and this is the first year it has flowered. I am thinking I might have to divide it next year.
 

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Geo

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variegated ginger
yes, it is my courtyard jungle
As far as I know, ginger leaves are good for teas and very rarely as a "mild" ginger flavor chopped on something like salads. Rizomes, shoots and leaves of ginger are supposed to be edible...
 
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