Edible ginger is grown for its spicy underground stems (rhizomes) and is one of the few Florida crops that likes some shade. It is planted in spring and dug from fall into winter, and the related galangal and turmeric are grown the same way. Soggy soil is the main danger: ginger is very prone to root and rhizome rots, so start with clean rhizomes and well-drained beds.1, 2
about 1 (Gardening Solutions); about 2 (EDIS ENH1374)
Spacing in the row (inches)
about 15 (Gardening Solutions); 18 (1.5 feet, ENH1374)
Days to harvest
about 8 to 10 months for fully developed rhizomes; about 5 months for young 'baby' ginger
Gardening Solutions: plant in spring after frost danger but before the heat, from March in North Florida and as early as February in Central and South Florida. ENH1374 times planting by soil temperature: when the soil averages above 70 F and stays above 50 F at night, which runs from March in South Florida to May in North Florida. Ginger is grown from rhizome pieces, not seed; supermarket ginger can work for small plantings, though ENH1374 says bought or saved rhizomes carry more disease risk than rhizomes from specialist suppliers. Use pieces about 1 to 1.5 inches (Gardening Solutions) or 2 to 3 inches with two or more buds (ENH1374). Let cut pieces dry a few days before planting, and keep the soil moist until shoots appear. ENH1374 also describes pre-sprouting rhizomes in warm, humid potting mix to lengthen the season.
Partial shade. Gardening Solutions says a couple of hours of sun a day is enough and more makes leaf tips brown; ENH1374 recommends 25 to 40 percent shade in Florida summers, especially while plants establish, but warns that too much shade cuts rhizome yield.
Water
Keep moist; once established in summer, plants need rain or irrigation about daily. Leaf curling is the first sign of drought. Never let the bed waterlog. Irrigation can be stopped about a month before a winter harvest.
Fertilizer
UF/IFAS has no official ginger fertilizer rate. ENH1374's authors report good crops with an organic 7-5-10 at 100 grams (3.3 oz) per plant applied three times, or a controlled-release fertilizer at planting, and say to avoid feeding in winter dormancy and to avoid salty soil.
Prepare a well-drained bed rich in organic matter; Gardening Solutions suggests an even mix of sand and cow manure, or a raised bed at least 8 inches deep on rockland. Ginger also grows well in containers; ENH1374 suggests three rhizomes per 15-gallon pot or one per 5-gallon. Best growth is at 70 to 85 F. Plants go dormant as days shorten and cool in fall. Mulch or containers help where hard freezes occur. ENH1374 also covers galangal and turmeric, grown in much the same way.
Root, rhizome and vascular rots: The most common problem. The UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center has found Ralstonia solanacearum, Pythium, Phytophthora and Fusarium oxysporum on Florida ginger. Avoid waterlogging, discard rotten plants and soil, sanitize tools, and replant the same ground only after 3 to 5 years.
Root-knot nematodes: Also found on Florida-grown ginger and turmeric.
Insects: Few problems outdoors; ENH1374's authors saw only minor armyworm and grasshopper damage.
Dig mature ginger in fall or once the tops die back, about 8 to 10 months after planting, and let rhizomes dry in the shade. Once the skin dries, store in the refrigerator or freezer. For mild, thin-skinned 'baby' ginger that needs no peeling, dig early, about five months after planting, before flower spikes appear. To keep a patch going, thin the clump rather than digging all of it; it will resprout in spring.
In an aquaponics system
We haven't found a published source that covers ginger (edible gingers) in aquaponics systems, so this lesson doesn't guess. The planting months above apply to a grow bed the same as to soil; the water does the watering.
What this lesson doesn't cover yet
It is not clear from planting.json which plants 'gingers' covers. This lesson covers edible ginger, notes galangal and turmeric from ENH1374, and does not cover ornamental gingers.
Depth, spacing and light differ between Gardening Solutions and ENH1374; both are shown.
No UF/IFAS variety list, soil pH or plant family statement was found.
Neither SRAC 454 nor the FAO manual addresses ginger.
Your county extension office and its Florida Master Gardeners can fill these in for your garden.