Root ginger is sprouting - can I grow it?

Emm-in-a-pickle

I`ve found a few forgotten lumps of root ginger in my kitchen (I use a lot in cooking) and they are sprouting. The sprouts look quite healthy.
Can I grow them, and how??

Fruittea

Lucky you. Yes they will grow and spread and form different bulbs. You can keep it in a pot on the window sill - should be no problems. It looks a bit like a small palm. You will have to dig it up to use the root but you should always keep plenty back to repot. I just found a video of ginger growing on UTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPfDhfeqcYc It's American and they have it in the garden but for the UK I'd keep it inside.


Good luck.

Farway

I have tried growing ginger root, I think you will find there is just not the warmth in UK to succeed, it does grow, but IME never really forms a tuber / root to harvest.

Nice plant, but do not expect to harvest any

Emm-in-a-pickle

Thanks folks. I`ve just planted some in a pot and it`s now on LR windowsill - gets fair bit of sun and warmer at night in here.

Re the stems, aren`t they edible too ? (stem ginger...)
I just hate the idea of chucking them out when they`ve made the effort to sprout and stay alive, so we`ll see what happens.

A._Badger

It grows just fine here in my greenhouse (in Kent). I'm told that some supermarkets' stems won't sprout (perhaps they're sprayed with an inhibitor, or aren't sufficiently fresh?) but I have bought stems from local shops here and have sprouted and grown them successfully.

DaftyDuck

Kent here too (lucky us), and mine grows great.... lemongrass too!

It needs lots of light, keep it damp but NEVER leave standing in water, Fertilise as often as you remember, and use a cheap flower pot... when the root grows, it does so with gusto, and the pot will warp if plastic, break if earthenware.

You can harvest the root bit by bit, replanting the growing part for more growth.

Fruittea

Not sure you would want to eat the stem and leafy part as it will be tough. Stem ginger is actually make from the bulb (just chopped up) it's just preserved in sugar and water and cooked for a while. No doubt it would be nicer to just grow it and have fresh ginger unless you're a fan of stemmed ginger. Here's a link about how to make it: http://www.ehow.com/how_10026876_make-stem-ginger.html

Emm-in-a-pickle

I checked here as I couldn`t remember when I`d planted my ginger - so thought I`d post an update.
There are 7 shoots, the taller ones all around 30 inches high and the 2 shorter shoots are 15 and 17 inches. Still producing new leaves, but a bit slower now. No central heating on yet, just whatever sun there is on LR windowsill, log fire warmth in evenings, and pot gets watered when it feels a bit dry.

So far so good then!