Gardens
How to Grow Ginger Indoors
Love cooking with fresh ginger? Growing ginger indoors is surprisingly easy. Get our steps for how to grow ginger indoors, plus our favorite fresh ginger recipes.
By Shelley Wigglesworth|Dec 30 2020|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanInstructions for How to Grow Ginger Indoors:
- Start with a living ginger root. These are available from nurseries, garden centers or seed companies. If you have a friend with a ginger plant, a root cutting from that may work as well. Choose a root that is firm, plump and has tight skin with several eye buds on it (like the bumps you find on a potato). Roots can be cut and sectioned at the buds and planted so that each will grow into an individual plant.
- Soak the ginger root in warm water overnight to prepare for planting.
- Fill a shallow, wide plant pot (ginger roots grow horizontally) with rich, well-draining potting soil.
- Place the ginger root with the eye bud pointing up and cover it with 1-2 inches more of soil. Water lightly.
- Place the pot in a spot that stays warm and doesn’t get a lot of bright light.
- Keep the soil moist, being careful not to over-water.
- Ginger is slow to grow. Be patient. After 2-3 weeks, you should see some shoots coming up.
- A few months after growth begins, small pieces of ginger can be harvested. Move the soil at the edges of the pot to find some ginger rhizomes (the term for an underground, continuously growing stem) beneath the surface. Cut the desired amount off a stem toward the edge of the pot and then replace the soil to allow it to continue to grow.
FAVORITE FRESH GINGER RECIPES:
Gingered Sugar Cookies One-Week Homemade Ginger Beer Pumpkin Ginger Soup Peach, Ginger, and Blueberry Strudel Cod with Ginger-Basil Butter on Fragrant Rice Ginger Limeade Triple-Ginger Gingerbread
Thank you. I was going to look this up soon and it just popped up. I’m looking forward to trying it soon!
thank you for this awesome site, it had exactly what i wanted and how i wanted it.
Thank you for this simple and to the point info!
even though I do not get to New England except once yearly I am so glad to have this website Thanks for all of your information it helps me plan my trip THANKS
I bought ginger at the grocery store, and put it in a decorative container on the counter as I packed away the rest of the groceries. I forgot about it for a few weeks. I found it today and it has a dark green shoot coming up in one area that is 2″ long and smaller ones elsewhere on the root. I don’t see roots. I will use my old bonsai pot and some bonsai soil and see what happens.
The ginger IS the root! Your green shoot is growing directly from the root-the part of the plant we use. Like carrots.
I also had a couple of ginger roots that I purchased from a local grocery store and I put them in a glass bowl on my counter and several wks later I thought what did I do with that ginger that I bought and found it in the bowl I had put it in wks earlier and I was shocked to see one of the roots had a small greenish shoot sprouting from it, I immediately stuck it in a pot of dirt, and it did good for awhile, but I think I didn’t water it correctly, because it began looking pretty puny and eventually died… I was so sad that I had let it die, but wasn’t sure what I did wrong, I even thought that maybe it died because it was in a pot indoors, so I’m thrilled to see this article on growing ginger! I definitely use a lot of ginger in mid summer when making elderberry syrup, I add ginger to my syrup… Thank you also for the recipe for the ginger drink, def trying it this week….
nice information, really educational
Ginger appears to have PROVEN anti cancer properties. My wife is recovering from a lumpectomy and is taking ginger juice regularly. So am I and our daughters, too. Collectively, we go through about 3 lbs of ginger per week. I grind it, juice it, then make a second run. I dry the pulp and powder it for use in tea or on other foods. It is a terrific source of dietary fiber. I’ll be following your instructions for growing it at home to be sure it is “organic,” and because it is convenient. It is only $2.99/lb at the market, but to be able to harvest it when needed is priceless.
Valuable information! I like to use ginger in veggi juices, but now I’d like to plant it myself and try it in differents recipes. Thanks a lot.
Great information and just what I was trying to find out. My ginger has a couple of shoots and eyes showing. I’m going to prepare them as you stated here and pray they keep growing with some care. Thanks!
Thanks for your advice … much appreciated.
I use ginger chills , sore throat,and flu;a friend had flu, I gave her ginger tea she uses it and is doing so much better. I love ginger. I’m going to grow some.
I’ve been going to try growing ginger. Now that I know how simple it is, I’m planting a root today. Thank you! (Shelley, Are you related to the Wigglesworths that lived in Upper Arlington, Ohio…my relatives?)
So, I’m no gardener but can you take a picture of what an “eye bud” of a ginger look like? Thanks. 🙂 . I don’t even know what a potato eye look like either…
interested in growing ginger in uganda.east African region in African continent.Thanks for the shared information.
Duh! I Had no idea that ginger WAS the root itself! Couldn’t be any more simple than that, could it? Thanks for the simple yet very informative news.
Would fresh ginger from an Asian market work ?
I’m sure it would. I bought at the grocery store and it has started growing – I will be potting it today!
I went to a African restaurant about 2 months ago in Providence and ordered some Oxtail when the owner asked me to try some of this green juice. I love trying new different things and I am hooked since that day . A little pricey at $3.00 a cup but me being a cook figured out the ingredients and have made probably 10 gallons of it since and friends and family love it and its so simple to make once you get the amounts of each ingredient correct …….. I hope you all love it as much as I do: 6 cucumbers,ginger root about the size of a lemon or more if you like a stronger ginger taste, cold water enough to fill 2 gallon jugs after you seperate the mix of cucumbers and ginger, also a sweetner could be sugar, sugar in the raw, equal,sweet and low…… cut up skin and all both the cucumber and ginger and put it in the blender, or food processor.Once its done you could if you don’t like the pulp squeeze it out or strain into bowl I love it so I leave it in.Next split it into 2 one gallon jugs and fill it with cold filtered water.Now as for the sweetner you could either add say 2 packs of equal to a 12 oz. glass add ice then pour juice in or you could add 1/2 cup or cup depending on your taste I shop at BJs so I buy equal in a big bag for baking so it works out well for me. Before each serving shake your bottle to mix because it does seperate when its sits in the fridge. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do and now for protein in each gallon I have added a half cup of Hemp powder which is great if I feel a little hungry before a meal it holds me over ,,,,, let me know if you like it or like me now Im loving it thanks Sherry
How much water…..daily, weekly. Sprayer or pour water. My leaves have light brown tips lately. Too much, not enough water? Thank you.
You were soooooo informative about Ginger! You stayed on the subject; great no nonsense information; right to the point. Planting tomorrow. Will let you know results. Thank you so much.
I have been growing ginger since around 1985. Just for the heck of it, I planted some between some shrubs! Now it is all over the place. I dig it up and toss it out by the trees, at the edge of the yard…just everywhere! It makes such a pretty plant, and the blooms are beautiful in the fall. They resemble a pine cone with tiny little flowers poking out all over the cone. I live in North Florida, way out in the country, with 70 acres of land so I have lots of space to grow different things!
Found this site through a FB group about chili’s and it inspired me to grow some ginger 🙂 thanks for the instructions
I would love to try to grow ginger also! How often and about how much water do you give it and also is there any special type of soul to grow it in! Clay or plastic pot?
Thanks for the information.
But I still do not know how often and how much water to keep the ginger root well and happy.
Inside my house, easier to keep a close eye on the plant.
Thanks
I got ginger to grow in a pot. It grew well for a while, then died back. I thought, “well, I killed it”, and threw out the soil and what I thought was the dead plant. SILLY ME! Ginger goes dormant and the leaves die back as part of its annual cycle. On a small plant, all the leaves may die. Don’t be fooled! It will come back with new growth in a couple of months. Ginger can live for years, and will always die back.
I am from the Philippines. I grow up drinking ginger tea, then whole family loves it and my father plants them. Now I had been living in the USA and still growingand drinking ginger tea and most filipino use this for cooking. This is a spice we love.
Am Geofrey Musene from Mbale. Am jst trying to learn hw to plant ginger i planted it in December last year
Still I haven’t read the correct answer, CAN I GROW IT INSIDE AND HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU GIVE IT???? A lot, little? Daily? Wkly? So plz answer it!! Ty
Jazmine, The instructions are for indoor growing. Use a shallow 4-5 inch deep pot or bowl with good drainage to avoid overwatering because ginger root will rot if kept in wet soil. Check the soil at least once a week and you should be okay.
I live near Atlanta, GA and have been growing ginger from a grocery store root for four yet. I have them in two big plastic pots that sit outside during when the weather is consistently above 50 degrees F. It produces 30 inch tall foliage. Be careful if you have sensitive skin! I was tidying up around my pots and my hand brushed against the leaves. Within a couple of minutes my skin was on fire. I washed my hands several times and still it hurt. I Googled ginger and found lots of good info. The burning I felt is a protective ability of ginger. It finally stopped hurting and I make sure I wear my gloves outside. BTW, ginger pots can be grown outdoors if the temperature stays above 50 degrees F.
I got my ginger from a health food store, it’s organic, that should be OK to get things going, yes?
before reading your article, I tried to plant ginger outside.I took the ginger in water from the fridge, it was in the soil for 4 weeks & watered it daily. It didn’t grow. Then, I tried to grow from the store bought ginger with lot of eyes,its been 3 weeks.
What do you do w/the shoot? Our store bought ginger root sprouted 2 shoots 1 died quickly… the second is still there, but hasn’t done much… then after I stuck it in a pot w/poting soil… a 3rd shoot popped up and it’s growing like gangbusters. I didn’t cover the ginger root though… I just kind of 1/2 buried it. Isthe shoot good for anything? Or just pretty to look at? And how long would I expect it to take before I could have new “fresh” root to use?
Thank you for this great information and feedback from others. I also love ginger and wanted to grow indoor as bonsai. Curious what is the reason to soak in warm water over night? Is it taking skin off of root to grow faster? Warm as in room temperature? And so helpful to know it dies back to wait and not let go of plant..thanks all. Pat
Lukewarm. Also we soak it to dissolve any growth inhibitors that might have been used. Mine jumpstarted growth after this but then my Cat tiped the bowl and well… Dirt, pieces of roots everywhere
Never been to New England but your info on ginger has been very well put together. Simple & concise. I live in upper Washington State but still can grow ginger. 2???? up????
Will Ginger grow back in the Spring if it dies back in the winter? I am in zone 8a so my winters are pretty mild, although we do get a couple weeks of below freezing temperatures.
Lavender, I am also in 8a (coastal Virginia) and find ginger dies when planted outside over the winter, even when mulched in. Mine appears to stop growing below about 55° F air temperature and kills the rhizomes below 45° F air temperature. I have begun planting mine in large pots that can be moved outside in early summer and inside in fall.
Thank you so much, I will try this. I wish my Dad was alive, he would have said to me, “I could have told you that”
Thanks so much.
Don’t we just LOVE our Dads and their wisdom?
Just noticed two large green sprouts coming from my ginger root. Thanks for the info on indoor planting, going to try planting some today here in Nova Scotia. 🙂
I suffer from migraines daily for all my life. I just recently started to make ginger water, 4 cups water, 2 inch size ginger ground up with half of lemon squeezed with a dash of honey. It’s been 8 days waking up with no migraines! I did get only one but later in day. But it is a miracle so far. I feel very hopeful.
I’m glad the ginger is helping, I find it has a lot of benefits and I drink ginger tea daily, but I wanted to also mention there was a story aired on NPR about a doctor who treated patients with chronic migraines (20 or more per month) by having them sit in a room with only green LED lights for two hours each day. He had tremendous results with most of the patients experiencing no more migraines. They are thinking green chromotherapy sunglasses might have similar effect so I bought a pair for my husband who suffers ocular migraines. His are caused by chemo so they didn’t completely stop but he says the glasses seem to reduce the frequency and severity so that’s a win. I hope you find something that works for you. I’ve been fortunate to have only had 3 migraines ever but I remember every single one, there is no mistaking what it is when you get one. So painful ???? Take care.
love your site thanks so much it’s inspiring born and bred in Mass. but living in southern CA. for yrs. now Our regional yankee is always with us.
This method will not work for most people. Most ginger is sprayed with chemicals that retard sprouting so as to increase its shelf life in the store. If you try to plant it, it will not sprout but dry out and rot. In some parts of the world, occasionally, you can get unsprayed roots but, on the whole, this method is doomed.
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All you have to do is buy organic ginger it will grow just fine.