Grow garlic
Garlic has a long history and has been cultivated for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. Archaeologists have already discovered images of garlic bulbs and garlic paintings from about 3200 BC in Egyptian...
Growing ginger
Little is known about how ginger was first grown. Historians believe that the plant did not exist naturally in its current form, but was cultivated that way by humans. Most ginger comes from Asia. India is the largest producer, followed by China and Indonesia. After reading this article you will know how to grow ginger yourself!
How do you grow ginger?
Ginger is a tropical plant that you can easily grow yourself and for which you do not need much special knowledge. You start with a piece of fresh ginger root (actually the rhizome of the plant), which you can buy at any supermarket. Choose a piece that has some well-developed growth buds. The shoots develop from these buds.
The next step is to break the carrot into pieces. Make sure you have a growth bud on each piece. Plant these pieces in a seed tray in moist potting soil, with sufficient nutrients and good drainage. The best time of year to do this is around the end of winter or the beginning of spring. Keep the seed tray indoors though, as most ginger is not hardy. Central heating can make the air a little too dry. It is therefore good to spray the plants with some mist now and then.
When is ginger fully grown?
Ginger plants like light and warmth and do well in bright sunlight. Always avoid cold, wind or draft. The growing tips at the end of each 'finger' of the rhizome will sprout quickly. Long, thin leaves grow from that end. These look a bit like grass sprouting. The ginger plant is fully grown within eight to ten months. The plant can grow up to one and a half meters high; so make sure you have some room to let it grow.
Cooking with ginger
Ginger is perfect to spice up your cooking. The intensity of the flavor depends on when the ginger is harvested. The older the plant, the spicier the root will taste. Young ginger roots are somewhat softer and juicier and have a milder flavour. You can eat these young tubers fresh or preserve them in, for example, vinegar, sugar water or sherry. Young ginger is perfect for making ginger tea. You just need to add some sugar and lemon to taste.
