Within the last decade, ginger has not only found its way into our country as a tea and spice. More and more people are discovering the different ginger varieties and species as attractive flowering plants for the home and garden.

Spice ginger made from commercially available ginger bulbs

The spice ginger (Zingiber officinale in Latin), which we know from the supermarket, can be grown relatively easily from commercially available tubers. Rearing by seed is practically irrelevant when cultivating this type of ginger. Place the purchased ginger bulbs as fresh as possible in a bucket with humus-rich substrate to get the tropical plant to flower on the windowsill or in the garden.

The propagation and harvesting of ginger as a container plant

If you want to harvest commercially available ginger for consumption, you can let commercially purchased tubers sprout in a bucket from March. The green leaves can then be processed into tasty salads with a lot of aroma in late summer and autumn. As soon as the leaves of the ginger turn yellow in autumn, the tubers can be dug up and dried and used as a spice.

Ginger bulbs overwinter in the cellar

For overwintering the harvested ginger tubers for renewed cultivation in the following spring, the tubers in our latitudes cannot be overwintered in the ground like other potted plants. Rather, ginger bulbs should be taken out of the ground and cleaned with a cloth and dried. This prevents mold and the tuber can be overwintered dry and cool in the dark until it sprout again.

Different types of ginger with exotic flower shapes

Apart from the commercially available spice ginger, there are also various types of ginger that can be grown from seed. These often have impressive flower shapes. However, since these are also predominantly tropical plant species, they should be cultivated as seasonal container plants in warm and sunny locations.

The subfamily Alpinioideae of the ginger family

The various species of this subfamily occur in their natural distribution mainly in Australia and Malesia. When cultivated correctly, the various subspecies form exotic-looking flowers in shades of purple, red and orange. Especially in the hot, humid climate of a greenhouse, these types of ginger will give you flowering success.

The Zingibereae family as a spice and houseplant

This family of ginger plants includes the species Curcuma alismatifolia. An important raw material for the production of curry spice mixtures is obtained from the tubers of this species. You can often buy the plants with the purple, perennial flowers in well-stocked horticulture. Cultivation and propagation is possible on the windowsill or as a container plant overwintered in the house.

tips and tricks

Since all ginger plants are tropical plants, you should pay special attention to the choice of location. With sufficient and regular water supply, all types of ginger tolerate a sunny and hot location.

Category:

Vegetable garden