I decided at some point over the winter that I wanted to try growing ginger. So I went to the store and got some fresh ginger (in the spring) from the grocery store. I cut it into pieces and planted it in a pot full of potting soil. I watered. And watered. And watered some more until I FINALLY saw some shoots. The shoots, since I'm blogging about this all sorts of late, are now about a foot tall and look (I think) very similar to bamboo. But hopefully they'll produce some nice ginger pieces for cooking.
I also decided to try growing sweet potatoes, which meant that I needed to get slips. I opted to buy a potato from Whole Foods, sliced off the bottom and put it in a jar of water. The slips started sprouting almost immediately. As the sprouts came off the potato I planted them in the garden. Of course, the problem is that it's been so freaking hot that if I forget to water the slips every 12 hours for the first week they're out in the garden then they just crisp up and die.
Now then, all I need to do is try growing some crocus for saffron, right?
3 comments:
Awesomeness. My pumpkin seedlings sound like your sweet potato slips. But I did successfully grow saffron crocus -- go for it! I got my bulbs at EasyToGrowBulbs.com.
I also have some ginger from the grocery store in various pots. I think they do this at Zilker Botanical Garden as well since I've seen the same ginger in their beds...
At this time of year, sweet potatoes are tricky to get started. I have the more ornamental sweet potato vine that you see everywhere, and I take long cuttings and shove them down deep in the soil and water daily till they start to form new leaves. I did a bunch of these last year and pulled an impressive number of tubers before the first frost! This is how I get the plants started in various pots because a slip is easier to plant than a tuber.
I've had great luck with "grocery store" plants like ginger, garlic, and leeks. I have planted saffron crocus. So far, no blooms, but I've got high hopes!
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