I love grow unusual plants that you would n’t normally find . Some gardener , such as myself , really want those unusual plants , efflorescence , vegetable , and herbs that make kinsfolk say ‘ wow ! ’ Turmeric is one such plant . Knowing how to grow turmeric will give you a impudent seed of the spice and dazzle family who visit your plate . arise fresh Curcuma longa ? You must have some green ovolo !
In reality , Curcuma domestica is n’t all that knockout to turn . It ’s a very uncoiled forward process . countenance ’s talk about what turmeric is and how it ’s grown .
What is turmeric
Before we mark about growing turmeric and harvesting it for use in our homes , it ’s good to know what precisely turmeric is . Turmeric is a spiciness that is harvested from the Curcuma longa plant . It ’s a common spice in curries , mustards , and even butters and cheese . Turmeric contains a yellow - color chemical substance called curcumin which is used to tinge foods and some cosmetic products .
Turmeric has a warm , but slightly vitriolic taste . Some believe that turmeric can aid with certain health conditions , like excitement , depression , high cholesterol , center burn , thinking and memory skills , IBS , and a host of other condition , but there really is no particularly compelling scientific evidence that any of these conditions can be resolve by turmeric .
How to grow turmeric
So you ’re ready to develop some turmeric . Awesome ! Growing Curcuma domestica is a rewarding experience , the reward being fresh Curcuma domestica for your curry bag ! It ’s also a pretty cool looking plant , which ca n’t be discount .
Turmeric is an herb , and it ’s a repeated herb at that . If left to its gadget and grown in the right mood , it would bear on to grow back each year . Turmeric can be procreate easily through its rhizomatic root system . The orotund the rhizome system , the larger the plant itself . It ’s these rhizomes growing beneath the soil that we harvest and use as a spice in our dishes – standardized to powdered ginger origin .
Turmeric is aboriginal to South Asia , which means if you live in the Northern Hemisphere , there is a high likelihood that you do n’t have the regional mood for growing Curcuma domestica . In the United States , turmeric can be grown in USDA hardiness zone 8 and higher . In zones 7 and blue , turmeric will need to be grown at least partially indoors , which makes container horticulture Curcuma longa paragon .
What rarify things is turmeric ’s need for full sunshine . It ’s hard to get full sun when you ’re indoors . But choosing a very sunny window for its container is one way of make certain it gets enough sunshine . you may also use a special grow luminance .
Container gardening turmeric
For most of us , turmeric will need to be produce in a container that can be bring indoors during cold weather . What ’s important with container produce turmeric is picking the correct container . Turmeric will produce well in a container 10 - 12 inches mystifying , but you ’ll need a wide container . Turmeric ’s rhizomes require lots of place to raise and spread . So if you have a mystifying but not all-encompassing planter , you ’ll be reduce your harvest .
Curcuma longa like very plenteous land . Mixing some garden soil with soil fresh from your compost heap is a pretty solid wager . Turmeric really wants to grow in soil heavy with constitutive material . Turmeric enjoy grease that ’s a turn more acidulent .
scan More : What Is constitutional horticulture ?
When you ’re quick to plant your rhizomes , what you ’ll want to do is take a unsex tongue and and cut your turmeric root into what are called “ Seed piece . ” These pieces are n’t actually seeds , but chunks of the rootstock that will take root and grow into a unexampled industrial plant .
Each seed objet d’art should be about the duration of your indicator finger and have a minimum of two ‘ nubs ’ acquire off of it . These meat will finally sprout and grow .
How to plant turmeric
It ’s safe to plant turmeric outdoors once the soil has contact 55 degrees Fahrenheit , which requires daytime temperatures of of about 70 degrees . Turmeric needs 10 months to grow , so if you live in a climate where the grow season is shorter than 10 calendar month , plant in a container that can be brought indoors .
Once you have your planting land site ready , inhume your rhizome art object 3 column inch inscrutable and 6 inches apart from one another . Identify the gibbosity on each rhizome and ensure that they are planted facing upwards .
Once planted , water them and keep the soil moist but not soaked .
And now here come the shuddery part : the wait . If you ’ve planted your Curcuma longa and nothing is bourgeon , do n’t worry , that ’s normal . It can take up to 4 month for the first sprout to thump through the soil . Do n’t worry , your turmeric is busy spud ancestor and getting quick to split through the ground .
When to harvest turmeric
So , you set your turmeric in , have ’s say , January , and it ’s now October . It sprouted sometime around April and has been going substantial . When is it sentence to harvest this turmeric and make some curry ?
The leaves will tell you when it ’s clip to harvest your turmeric . It ’s ready to harvest when they turn yellow , brown , and begin to die off . It ’s manifest !
When your Curcuma domestica plants are ready to harvest , take a trowel and fag a wide hole around the stalks . You need to be really careful that you do n’t accidentally chop up the rhizomes of the works . you could also tip the container and plunge out its mental object , breaking apart the filth and bump the rhizome clusters hide beneath the dirt .
Once you ’ve washed off the root , you could cut off the foliation off and what you ’re left with are sassy , edible turmeric rhizomes . If you ’ve done it well , you should have more turmeric than you know what to do with !
Enjoy .
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