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The ginger in my pantry has started to sprout, so I guess it’s finally time to plant some ginger in the garden. I mean, if this rhizome is this determined to grow, it deserves to be planted.


 Ginger is one of my favorite flavors. I love it in Thai vegetable soup, with stir fry vegetables, in carrot juice, and my guilty pleasure is my husband’s homemade ginger ice cream. Ginger is something we always have in the pantry since it keeps well when stored in a dry place.

The health benefits of ginger have been well-studied and include soothing gastrointestinal distress (nausea and gas), boosting immunity, relieving motion sickness and morning sickness, reducing inflammation and fighting cancer. Being a person who lives with chronic joint and muscle pain, I feel that controlling the inflammation in my system helps me manage my pain. Anti-inflammatory medications upset my sensitive stomach, so I choose the natural route to wellness. I prefer delicious ginger over a pill any day.

Ginger tea is my favorite go-to remedy for an upset stomach. Simply peel and slice some ginger and steep it in hot water for a few minutes, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you want. There you have it, stomach relief the natural way.

This is my first time planting ginger in the garden, and although early spring is the ideal time to plant it, my nurseryman said it’s fine to plant it now in my Los Angeles area garden. I figured it’s worth a try since my rhizome is already sprouting, so I did some research and this is what I have learned about growing ginger.

It grows in tropical zones (USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and higher). In cooler climates it can be grown indoors. You can purchase ginger root in the grocery store. Technically it is not a ginger root that we eat, but rather a rhizome. People refer to it as ginger root, and I’ll use both terms. Look for plump roots with multiple “fingers”. If there are green tips at the end of the fingers, that is good because those are the growth buds.