Grow Your Own Ginger In The House

Grow Your Own Ginger In The House

Fresh Ginger is Amazing!

A Lot Of Ginger In A Box

So… one of those boxes had pounds of ginger root. I contemplated freezing it, but never managed to get it done. I thought of drying it out and grinding it up, but powdered ginger is easy to buy. There it sat on my countertop.

I made tea and cooked a lot of Asian inspired dishes for dinner. I gave some away. Still there was ginger on the counter top and it was beginning to shrivel up.

I read about making a ginger bug and making my own fermented ginger ale. That’s something I still want to do.

All this was happening during a very, very busy time in my life. I just didn’t have time to fully enjoy this blessing of bounty.

Not wanting to let it all just rot or shrivel on the counter, I decided to try planting the roots. I had no idea what I was doing but it worked anyway.

I now have a few years of experience with growing ginger in the house. Once you taste fresh ginger you aren’t going to want to go back to the tired roots sold in the stores.

Like I said, I was pretty busy at the time. I had no time for going out and buying a pretty pot or just the right soil. Years later I’m still searching for just the right pot- and my ginger is still happily growing in it’s make shift container.

The beautiful fronds can grow 2-3 feet tall so keep that in mind.

It’s easy to grow your own ginger in the house because it doesn’t need any special lighting and it isn’t fussy about temperature.

Health Benefits Of Growing Your Own Ginger In The House

Ginger is in the same family as turmeric. Both of these plants have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger is used as a natural pain reliever and can be combined with turmeric in a tea or tincture. Or use it as ingredients in food. A study done in 2001 showed ginger extract/oil is absorbed through the skin and inhibit the same COX-2 pathways as some prescription medications. Other studies focused specifically on menstrual pain. One study found that taking 1 gram of dried ginger was as effective as taking an over the counter anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen.

Ginger is also a strong antioxidant and gives a good boost to your immune system.

Some studies show a positive heart health benefit of ginger. Ginger is said to regulate blood pressure and help prevent build up of cholesterol in arteries.

Still more studies show ginger as very helpful in preventing and treating cancer though more formal studies are recommended. See the citation below for an article from The National Center For Biotechnology Information.

Perhaps the most well known benefit of ginger is its anti-nausea effect. Ginger is wonderful for digestion in general and especially for nausea and vomiting. It’s also good for acid reflux and seams to works by keeping the peristalsis of the digestive system moving forward.

Here’s the citation for a good scholarly article on ginger research: Bode AM, Dong Z. The Amazing and Mighty Ginger. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 7.Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

Ginger and Pregnancy

First of all please remember to discuss any supplement or treatment with the person who is helping you in your pregnancy such as your midwife. Second, remember this information is just that-information- It’s here for you to use wisely.

There has been an update in recommendations for pregnant women using ginger. For thousands of years women used ginger to treat various health issues and especially to treat morning sickness. Ginger has been shown to be helpful with the nausea and vomiting associated with early pregnancy.

But.…It wasn’t well tested. It wasn’t proven to be safe. Some doctors thought there might be an association with miscarriage and abnormal development. These are pretty serious concerns.

The cautions and concerns have been alleviated for the most part by recent studies. See the article cited above for information. At the very least this is what researchers have concluded:

Fresh ginger is safer than processed ginger. Go figure!. Dried ginger such as found in capsules contains much higher levels of the 2 components that could be concerning. For many years pregnant women have been told that it is safe to use up to 1 gram of dried ginger or 4 cups of ginger tea per day. Most ginger capsules contain a little more than 1 gram of ginger.

A 2002 study showed ginger to be at least as effective as Dramamine for nausea, and had far fewer side effects. And, ginger was more effective than vitamin B6. Ginger and vitamin B6 can be used in combination.

Once again, we find that the practice of women using a natural and unprocessed method over thousands of years is proven safe.

How To Grow Your Own Ginger In The House

You only need 4 things to grow ginger in the house:

• A pot or container to hold the soil. I used a clear plastic kitchen canister from the Family Dollar Store. Someday I’ll upgrade-maybe. The ginger grows fairly shallow but wide. It can grow up to 3 feet wide, but I’m never that patient. I’m searching for a clear glass container because I like to watch the roots. A shallow wide terracotta pot would be beautiful.
• Organic Soil. Avoid using soil from your own garden as it will pack down too much and the ginger will prefer a loose soil. The soil should be organic potting soil after all you will be eating the root. It needs to drain well but be rich in organic matter.
• 1 or more pieces of organic ginger root. Each one should be at least 3 inches and should have an “eye” (the little knobs on the roots that will turn green and grow into a stem. It’s important to use organic ginger because non-organic ginger is treated with a chemical to prevent sprouting. You want the root to sprout and form a plant.
• A fairly sunny window. My ginger grows well on the window seat of a western facing window here in central Maine.

Basically you are just going to put 4-6 inches of the potting soil into the pot and nestle your piece of ginger down into the soil. Be sure the little green bud is pointed up. It’s ok if the bud isn’t green yet. The ginger should be barely covered or not covered at all by soil. I’ve seen directions that say 3-4 inches into the soil. I just laid mine on top and it grew fine.

Caring For Your Ginger In The House

Once you have your ginger root, or multiple roots, in the pot it’s time to add water and sunlight.

Be patient. Ginger grows slowly. It will take a few weeks to start to shoot upward.

Watering: Ginger likes well drained soil but it HATES to be too dry or too wet. My makeshift container doesn’t even have a drain hole in the bottom. The plants do fine as long as I don’t keep their feet soaking in water or ignore them for too long. If you use a pot with a drain hole and a saucer underneath there will be less concern about over-watering. Exactly how much water and how often to water will depend on the size of your pot and the maturity of the plant. Initially the soil should be damp until the root begins to grow. As the plant gets bigger it will need more water.

Harvesting The Ginger You Grow In The House

Once the ginger begins to grow, the root will send off side shoots. These start as little buds and often form a frond growing up. Feel free to cut off a chunk whenever you want to. Wash the dirt off. You can use it right away.

If you are planning to store your harvested ginger let it sit on the counter for a couple days to ripen before putting it in the refrigerator.

Try Growing Ginger In Your House!

Ginger is an amazing plant and has been used for flavor and health for thousands of years. It’s fantastically easy to grow. Give it a try because once your taste fresh ginger you won’t ever go back to the stale stuff from the store.

By the way, the leaves are edible too. They make a nice addition to tea, stir fry or salad. The leaves are not poisonous for dogs either making one more reason to grow ginger in the house.

Let me know if you try this or if you have any questions or comments. I would love to see pictures of your endeavors.