The commercially available ginger for use as a tea or spice usually comes from tropical regions, depending on the plant's needs. Cultivation of ginger in a sunny location is also possible in this country without any problems.

Select fresh tubers for cultivation

Basically, only a few tubers are needed to grow ginger, which can now be found in the vegetable section of many grocery stores. When shopping, make sure you choose fresh and juicy tubers, as these are better suited for growing ginger than dry and woody tubers. Slight bud formation can sometimes be seen on light-colored tubers, which indicates that the tuber will soon sprout.

The right location ensures growth success

Ginger comes from tropical latitudes and can only be grown in this country as a seasonal container plant or on the windowsill itself. Since it does not tolerate waterlogging well, cultivation in a bucket should be preferred to the garden soil. As a container plant, ginger is easier to care for, and it can also be easily moved to the sunniest spot in the garden.

Season and duration of cultivation of ginger

Ginger can be exposed in the garden from around March when temperatures are frost-free. After a cultivation period of around 250 days, the ginger tubers are large and aromatic enough to be harvested in October and November. However, the green leaves of ginger can also be used as an ingredient in tasty summer salads. With regard to the growth performance and the desired harvest quantity of the ginger tubers, however, you should be careful not to cut off too many green leaves during the ginger growth season.

The use of ginger as a food

The hot ginger root is said to have many positive health effects. You can grate some ginger from the fresh bulbs into a cup or pot and use it to make a healing tea for colds and sore throats. The grated tuber can also be mixed with noodles or rice if you want to give delicious dishes an exotic and Asian flavor.

The drying and storage of ginger

If ginger bulbs are kept at room temperature for longer than a few weeks, they can either dry out or sprout. Neither is desirable after the autumn harvest, unless you want to cultivate sprouting tubers as houseplants in a sunny window. Portions of ginger can of course also be frozen, but the aroma is better preserved if thinly sliced ginger is dried.

Dry ginger in the oven and use it to create a supply

Cut the excess ginger bulbs into thin slices and dry them in the oven at a maximum of 50 degrees Celsius until no more liquid escapes when the slices are pressed. The ginger slices can then either be stored in a dry place until they are used, or they can be crushed into practical granules using a spice grinder.

tips and tricks

The "Curcuma" variety is also one of the ginger plants, but it is known to us in a different form than the characteristic ginger tubers. This plant species provides the raw material for many curry spice mixtures from India.

Category:

Vegetable garden