Growing Ginger Root

I started this ginger plant about a month ago. It is a little lanky probably due to not being in a bright enough location. I started a ginger plant once before. I chopped it down when I moved and it regrew a number of stalks, but it eventually died when I left it outside during a freeze. I plan to keep this ginger and start a significant colony to harvest regularly. I might even plant some outside in the summer.

You can find ginger root at most grocery stores. Just look for one with a bud and plant it with the bud pointing up. I planted mine with the root shallow enough that it would photosynthesize until it grew a shoot, so the top of the root is a bit green with chlorophyll. I might add more dirt now that it has leaves. I decided to move it to a brighter location today. Hopefully brighter light will keep it a bit shorter. My last one was in a really sunny window, had four or five stalks that were about 18" tall and it even bloomed. Too bad that I don't have any pictures of that one in bloom. I am thinking about starting turmeric from the root as I have never tried that.

Ginger start