Final report for FNE21-980
Project Information
This project was conducted to determine ideal spacing and planting densities for ginger rhizomes to yield the highest amount of marketable ginger. Four different research plots were planted at different spacing. One plot had a single row of rhizomes planted at 4 inch spacing, one plot had a single row of rhizomes planted at 8 inch spacing, one plot had two rows of rhizomes planted at 4 inches apart in row and 6 inches between rows, and one plot had two rows of rhizomes planted at 8 inches apart and 6 inches between rows. In addition to planting in ground, rhizomes were planted at different planting densities in fabric grow pots. 10 gallon fabric grow pots contained either one rhizome, two rhizomes, or four rhizomes. At harvest, the weight of the marketable ginger was calculated and compared to the weight of seed pieces planted to determine increase in yield. These plots were researched in 2021 and replicated in 2022. In 2021, data indicated that spacing rhizomes at 8 inch spacing, in both the double and single row, yielded the highest weight compared to planted weight. The fabric grow pots showed that planting at a low density, such as one rhizome weighing a little over one ounce, could produce ginger hands weighing close to one and half pounds. For 2022, we experienced major crop failure and inconsistencies in our data. This is likely attributed to a variation in seed stock we received for the 2022 growing season as well as consistently cold temperatures in the early part of the growing season. Just using 2021, our farm will move forward with spacing ginger at 8 inch spacing and continue to studying a few different variations in planting densities to determine how to get the most yield from our high tunnel space. This project was featured in the September 2022 issue of Down East Magazine, we hosted multiple on farm tours and field days that included information about the ginger research plots and the SARE grant, and we presented at the November 2022 MOFGA Farmer to Farmer conference.
This project seeks to determine the most appropriate spacing of ginger rhizomes for the highest yield of fresh baby ginger. We will conduct this study for two growing seasons to establish a thorough set of data so our farm and future growers can make informed decisions about the best high tunnel spacing for ginger production.
Objectives:
1)Research high tunnel- grown ginger using four in-ground test plots with four different spacing setups. This set of data will demonstrate the spacing that will be the most efficient to use in high tunnels. For farmers looking to maximize their yield per row foot or dollar value per square foot of their high tunnel, this information will be vital.
2)Research high tunnel grown ginger using three different fabric pot planting densities of ginger rhizomes. This set of data will determine yields based on the number of rhizomes present in each fabric pot. Other farmers can use this data to compare to the in-ground plots to determine if pots have the capacity to yield more net profit based on intensively planting in a controlled environment.
Fresh ginger presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Maine growers. In addition to its culinary uses, research has shown the health benefits of consuming ginger. In particular, a recent study by the University of Virginia has demonstrated that the fresh, baby ginger grown in our region presents the most health benefits. Consumer demand for this popular spice is increasing in the United States and consumers have demonstrated a willingness to pay a premium price for locally-grown. Per pound, ginger yields our highest gross sales. At the same time, ginger is a relatively expensive crop to grow. Seed ginger is expensive and sometimes challenging to source. Its growing season is long and it requires dedicated space and infrastructure to germinate and grow. Baby ginger requires approximately 8 months to grow, while our region can only support 4-5 months of optimal growing conditions, particularly without the use of greenhouses. Our experience in growing ginger shows that it can be done but more data about rhizome spacing for optimal yields needs to be studied to increase yields and profits.
Given that ginger is a relatively new and lucrative crop to the Northeast, more growers are looking to add this enterprise to their operations. Due to the demands of this tropical crop and our own short growing season, the most viable growing method is within a high tunnel. This presents its own challenges as space is a limiting factor. During our own research for growing ginger the past two years, we found a wide range of seed spacing recommendations. Hawaii Clean Seed, one of the major suppliers of seed ginger, recommends between 4” and 10” seed spacing in either single or double rows. Not a very exact recommendation. Like many growers with finite space, we want to know what is the most amount of ginger that can be grown in the least amount of space, thus the importance of establishing best practices for successful high tunnel ginger growing in New England.
Our study will examine how ginger rhizome seed spacing within our high tunnel impacts ginger yields. Across two seasons, we will plant similarly-sized ginger rhizomes at various spacing in-ground in beds and above-ground in fabric pots. This will allow us to compare planting piece weight to harvest yield based on the spacing made available to the rhizome. Water, soil amendments, and season length will remain the same for all test ginger. At the end of each season, we will compile yield data for each seed spacing set. Our goal is to identify the optimal spacing to maximize yields and develop recommendations for other growers in our region.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
Research
MATERIALS AND METHODS AS PROPOSED:
Objective #1 Materials and Methods
- Ginger rhizomes will be cut and weighed into 2 oz seed pieces. The seed pieces will be placed in 1020 plastic trays in a sterile coco coir medium. These 1020 trays will be placed in the germination chamber. The germination chamber will be set to 80 degrees and the rhizomes will be left to germinate and sprout for 8 weeks.
- There will be four research plots in total. All research plots will be 25’ long with 36” bed tops located in a high tunnel greenhouse at our farm.
- Research Plot #1 will be set up for a single row of planting with rhizomes at 4” spacing. This plot will have 75 rhizomes planted.
- Research Plot #2 will be set up for a single row of planting with rhizomes at 8” spacing. This plot will have 37 rhizomes planted.
- Research Plot #3 will be set up for double row planting with rhizomes planted at 4” spacing. This plot will have 150 rhizomes planted
- Research Plot #4 will be set up for double row planting with rhizomes planted at 8” spacing. This plot will have 75 rhizomes planted.
- The research plots will all be planted by mid-May on the same day. At the time of planting, the rhizome will be planted into a 6-inch trench with compost, fertilized with fish emulsion, and covered with soil.
- Research plots will be irrigated daily by overhead emitters set on a timer. Duration will be 1-3 hours per day based on high tunnel temperature.
- These research plots will be hand cultivated for weeds every other week for the duration of the growing season.
- Plots will be fertilized every other week for the duration of the growing season.
- We will hill the research plots twice over the course of the growing season, once in early July and again in late August.
- Harvest will occur between October 1st and October 10th. All research ginger will be harvested on the same day. We will harvest, wash the ginger, and then weigh and record the ginger hands without the green stalks to determine the yield in weight per plant.
- Our final data analysis will be to determine an average weight for each ginger hand and an average ratio of rhizome weight to ginger hand weight for each of the four research plots.
Objective #2 Materials and Methods
- Ginger rhizomes will be cut and weighed into 2 oz seed pieces. The seed pieces will be placed in 1020 plastic trays in a sterile coco coir medium. These 1020 trays will be placed in the germination chamber. The germination chamber will be set to 80 degrees and the rhizomes will be left to germinate and sprout for 8 weeks.
- There will be three different data sets collected from the fabric pot research:
- Set #1: five 20 gallon fabric pots will have a single ginger rhizome each.
- Set #2: five 20 gallon fabric pots will have two ginger rhizomes each.
- Set #3: five 20 gallon fabric pots will have four ginger rhizomes each.
- The growing medium for the fabric pots will be 3 parts ProMix ORGANIX and one part cow manure-based compost.
- The fabric pot research sets will all be planted the same day by mid-May. At the time of planting, the rhizome will be planted into 6-inch holes in the fabric pot, fertilized with fish emulsion, and covered with soil.
- Fabric pot research plots will be equally irrigated daily by emitter ground stakes set on a timer. Duration will be 1-3 hours per day based on the high tunnel temperature.
- These research fabric pots will be hand- cultivated for weeds every other week for the duration of the growing season. These research plots will also be fertilized every other week for the duration of the growing season.
- We will hill the research plots twice over the course of the growing season, once in early July and again in late August.
- Harvest will occur between October 1st and October 10th. All research ginger will be harvested on the same day. We will harvest, wash the ginger, and then weigh and record the ginger hands without the green stalks to determine the yield in weight per plant.
- Our final data analysis will be to determine an average weight for each ginger hand and an average ratio of rhizome weight to ginger hand weight for each of the three fabric pot research sets.
CHANGES TO PROPOSED MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Over the course of the 2021 growing season, we made several changes from our initial project design. Originally, we proposed a larger individual seed ginger size. However, we opted to have the seller pre-cut seed ginger into plantable pieces. As a result, the average size of the seed material received was much smaller. After weighing and sorting our 50lbs of ginger, we opted for an average individual size of 1.16oz. While it is possible that smaller seed may result in smaller yields, this size was a good representation of the ginger sent by the grower. Another option would have been to order the ginger uncut by the grower, allowing us to cut into larger sized ourselves. While we have done this in the past, we felt that this would result in too much waste and possibly less viable seed since we are not very experienced at ginger cutting and curing.
Another divergence from our proposal was in our irrigation method. Initially we planned to water research beds and research containers by overhead sprinklers and drip stakes respectively. After two weeks, we observed that our containers were receiving more water than we desired and we worried about rot in our seed. In order to address this, we moved our containers closer to our beds so that they could receive the same overhead watering. For the remainder of the season, all research ginger received the same amount of watering.
In this study, we measured (1) harvested ginger by weight (oz) and (2) ginger growth increase (%) in relation to seed spacing in both in-ground research beds and fabric research containers. The overall goal of this project is to determine ideal spacing for maximum yield based on a combination of these two values.
2021 Results
In our 2021 research beds, seed ginger was planted in four 25’ plots: 8” single row, 4” single row, 8” double row and 4” double row. The least intensive planting, 8” single spacing, produced the least total harvested ginger by weight (310.24oz) and the greatest growth increase (+569%). Conversely, the most intensive planting, 4” double spacing, produced the greatest harvested ginger by weight (690.24oz) and the least growth increase (+272.22%). By comparison, the two intermediate planting rates resulted in more similar results: 4” single spacing produced 476.8oz of harvested ginger and 414.24% growth increase; 8” double spacing produced 615.68oz by weight and an increase of 564.02%. It should also be noted that the latter two spacing methods contained a near equal weight of initial seed ginger.
|
2021 in-ground ginger harvest (avg seed size = 1.16 oz) |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
8" Single Row |
46.36 |
310.24 |
569.20% |
|
4" Single Row |
92.72 |
476.8 |
414.24% |
|
8" Dbl Row |
92.72 |
615.68 |
564.02% |
|
4" Dbl Row |
185.44 |
690.24 |
272.22% |
|
TOTAL |
417.24 |
2092.96 |
416.82% |
In our 2021 research containers, seed ginger was planted in fifteen 20 gallon fabric pots at a rate of 5 containers each of 1 seed, 2 seed or 4 seed. Pots were randomly arranged. The total harvested ginger by weight ranged from 4.96oz to 34.72oz and the average growth increase of all containers was 923.63%.
|
2021 container ginger harvest (avg seed size = 1.15 oz) |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
Container #1 |
2.32 |
19.52 |
741.38% |
|
Container #2 |
4.64 |
34.24 |
637.93% |
|
Container #3 |
2.32 |
27.2 |
1072.41% |
|
Container #4 |
4.64 |
34.24 |
637.93% |
|
Container #5 |
1.16 |
17.28 |
1389.66% |
|
Container #6 |
1.16 |
0.112 |
-90.34% |
|
Container #7 |
2.32 |
33.76 |
1355.17% |
|
Container #8 |
2.32 |
29.76 |
1182.76% |
|
Container #9 |
4.64 |
25.28 |
444.83% |
|
Container #10 |
1.16 |
22.24 |
1817.24% |
|
Container #11 |
4.64 |
21.44 |
362.07% |
|
Container #12 |
1.16 |
4.96 |
327.59% |
|
Container #13 |
2.32 |
34.72 |
1396.55% |
|
Container #14 |
1.16 |
23.36 |
1913.79% |
|
Container #15 |
4.64 |
35.52 |
665.52% |
|
TOTAL |
40.6 |
363.632 |
923.63% |
Of the five containers containing 1 seed, three resulted in a growth increase greater than the average, one resulted in less than the average, and one pot failed completely. For the containers planted with 2 seed, one resulted in below the average whereas four were above average. All five containers with 4 seed resulted in growth increases below the average.
|
2021 container ginger harvest by seed density |
|||
|
ONE seed ginger piece per container |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
Container #5 |
1.16 |
17.28 |
1389.66% |
|
Container #6 |
1.16 |
0.112 |
-90.34% |
|
Container #10 |
1.16 |
22.24 |
1817.24% |
|
Container #12 |
1.16 |
4.96 |
327.59% |
|
Container #14 |
1.16 |
23.36 |
1913.79% |
|
TOTAL |
5.8 |
67.952 |
1071.59% |
|
TWO seed ginger pieces per container |
|||
|
Container #1 |
2.32 |
19.52 |
741.38% |
|
Container #3 |
2.32 |
27.2 |
1072.41% |
|
Container #7 |
2.32 |
33.76 |
1355.17% |
|
Container #8 |
2.32 |
29.76 |
1182.76% |
|
Container #13 |
2.32 |
34.72 |
1396.55% |
|
TOTAL |
11.6 |
144.96 |
1149.66% |
|
FOUR seed ginger pieces per container |
|||
|
Container #2 |
4.64 |
34.24 |
637.93% |
|
Container #4 |
4.64 |
34.24 |
637.93% |
|
Container #9 |
4.64 |
25.28 |
444.83% |
|
Container #11 |
4.64 |
21.44 |
362.07% |
|
Container #15 |
4.64 |
35.52 |
665.52% |
|
TOTAL |
23.2 |
150.72 |
549.66% |
Over the course of the 2021 growing season, we made several changes from our initial project design. Originally, we proposed a larger individual seed ginger size. However, we opted to have the seller pre-cut seed ginger into plantable pieces. As a result, the average size of the seed material received was much smaller. After weighing and sorting our 50lbs of ginger, we opted for an average individual size of 1.16oz. While it is possible that smaller seed may result in smaller yields, this size was a good representation of the ginger sent by the grower. Another option would have been to order the ginger uncut by the grower, allowing us to cut into larger sized ourselves. While we have done this in the past, we felt that this would result in too much waste and possibly less viable seed since we are not very experienced at ginger cutting and curing.
Another divergence from our proposal was in our irrigation method. Initially we planned to water research beds and research containers by overhead sprinklers and drip stakes respectively. After two weeks, we observed that our containers were receiving more water than we desired and we worried about rot in our seed. In order to address this, we moved our containers closer to our beds so that they could receive the same overhead watering. For the remainder of the season, all research ginger received the same amount of watering.
2022 RESULTS
In our 2022 research beds, seed ginger was planted in four 25’ plots: 8” single row, 4” single row, 8” double row and 4” double row. Overall, all four plots demonstrated significant die-off of ginger plants and healthy plants that produced harvestable ginger that was smaller than past growing seasons. Post cleaning and trimming of shoots and leaves, all study plots yielded harvestable young ginger that weighed less than the original planted seed ginger.
|
2022 in-ground ginger harvest (avg seed size = 1.5 oz) |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
8" Single Row |
68.25 |
63.4 |
-7.11% |
|
4" Single Row |
136.25 |
109.4 |
-19.71% |
|
8" Dbl Row |
136.25 |
48 |
-64.77% |
|
4" Dbl Row |
272.5 |
145.8 |
-46.50% |
|
TOTAL |
613.25 |
366.6 |
-43.66% |
The two single row plots produced the least growth decrease from seed to harvest: 8” single row decreased the least with 68.25oz of seed ginger resulting in 63.4oz (-7.11%) harvested ginger ; 4” single row produced 109.4oz (-19.71%) of harvestable ginger from 136.25oz of planted seed. Conversely, the two double row plots produced the greatest growth decrease from seed to harvest: 8” double row produced 48oz (-64.77%) of harvestable ginger from 136.25oz of planted seed; 4” double row produced 145.8oz (-46.5%) of harvestable ginger from 272.5oz of planted seed.
In our 2022 research containers, seed ginger was again planted in fifteen 20 gallon fabric pots at a rate of 5 containers each of 1 seed, 2 seed or 4 seed. Pots were randomly arranged. Ginger yields were lower than past seasons and several pots exhibited ginger plant die-off. Unlike the 2022 in-ground research plots, most of the research pots produced a growth increase from planted seed ginger to harvested young ginger. The total harvested ginger by weight ranged from 3oz to 15.4oz and the average growth increase of all containers was 199.78%. The grown increase was greatest for containers planted with 1 seed (294.67%) followed by 2 seed (248%) and 3 seed (56.67%)
|
2022 container ginger harvest (avg seed size = 1.5 oz) |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
Container #1 |
3 |
3 |
0.00% |
|
Container #2 |
6 |
13 |
116.67% |
|
Container #3 |
3 |
8.8 |
193.33% |
|
Container #4 |
6 |
3.6 |
-40.00% |
|
Container #5 |
1.5 |
3 |
100.00% |
|
Container #6 |
1.5 |
2.6 |
73.33% |
|
Container #7 |
3 |
14.6 |
386.67% |
|
Container #8 |
3 |
10.8 |
260.00% |
|
Container #9 |
6 |
11.4 |
90.00% |
|
Container #10 |
1.5 |
0.6 |
-60.00% |
|
Container #11 |
6 |
3.6 |
-40.00% |
|
Container #12 |
1.5 |
13.2 |
780.00% |
|
Container #13 |
3 |
15 |
400.00% |
|
Container #14 |
1.5 |
10.2 |
580.00% |
|
Container #15 |
6 |
15.4 |
156.67% |
|
TOTAL |
52.5 |
128.8 |
199.78% |
Of the five containers containing 1 seed, two resulted in a growth increase greater than the average, two resulted in less than the average, and one pot failed completely. For the containers planted with 2 seed, three were above the average, one was below the average, and one saw zero change from planting to harvest.Among the containers with 4 seed, two failed and the remaining three were below average resulting in growth increases below the average.
|
2022 container ginger harvest by seed density |
|||
|
ONE seed ginger piece per container |
|||
|
Planted (oz) |
Harvested (oz) |
Growth Increase (%) |
|
|
Container #5 |
1.5 |
3 |
100.00% |
|
Container #6 |
1.5 |
2.6 |
73.33% |
|
Container #10 |
1.5 |
0.6 |
-60.00% |
|
Container #12 |
1.5 |
13.2 |
780.00% |
|
Container #14 |
1.5 |
10.2 |
580.00% |
|
TOTAL |
7.5 |
29.6 |
294.67% |
|
TWO seed ginger pieces per container |
|||
|
Container #1 |
3 |
3 |
0.00% |
|
Container #3 |
3 |
8.8 |
193.33% |
|
Container #7 |
3 |
14.6 |
386.67% |
|
Container #8 |
3 |
10.8 |
260.00% |
|
Container #13 |
3 |
15 |
400.00% |
|
TOTAL |
15 |
52.2 |
248.00% |
|
FOUR seed ginger pieces per container |
|||
|
Container #2 |
6 |
13 |
116.67% |
|
Container #4 |
6 |
3.6 |
-40.00% |
|
Container #9 |
6 |
11.4 |
90.00% |
|
Container #11 |
6 |
3.6 |
-40.00% |
|
Container #15 |
6 |
15.4 |
156.67% |
|
TOTAL |
69 |
191.2 |
56.67% |
Average size of our seed rhizomes was again an unavoidable divergence from our proposal. In our second season of research, our average seed size was 1.5oz, which was smaller than the proposed 2oz but slightly larger than the previous season seed. Whereas in 2021, this was the result of the pre-cut seed purchased from the ginger wholesaler, in 2022 the resulting size was due to us cutting our own seed. Pre-cut seed was not offered by the wholesaler this year. Per the instructions of the wholesaler, larger ginger pieces were cut into thumb-sized pieces with a sharp knife. The knife was sterilized with isopropyl alcohol 70% between cuts. The cut pieces were allowed to cure for 1 week to allow the freshly-cut ends to cure prior to placement in the incubation chamber.
Regarding the low yields of our harvested ginger, several factors may have had a negative impact. Firstly, our seed ginger came from a different source. Our regular supplier, Hawaii Clean Seed, was unable to produce their own seed ginger and as a result had to source from an organic ginger grower in Peru. We are unsure what impact this change may have had but it is possible that it was less suited to our growing conditions.
Timing of incubation and planting may have also impacted crop health. Although our 2022 seed ginger spent nearly the same time in the incubation chamber as in 2021 (38 days in 2022, 39 days in 2021) it was started 13 days later into the season. The later start was done intentionally because in past years, seed ginger that was left in the incubation chamber produced tall shoots that were prone to damage when removed. By the time the ginger was pulled for planting, despite being incubated for similar periods of time, the shoots were much smaller than in 2021 and also nearly two weeks behind growth compared to 2021.
Additionally, seed ginger was planted on the same day it was removed from the incubation chamber for both seasons. Though this didn’t appear to negatively impact our 2021 crop, it may have been a factor in 2022. In the future, we will incorporate a hardening-off period between the incubation chamber and planting to allow sprouted seed ginger time to acclimate to new conditions.
In this study, we sought to determine the ideal spacing of seed ginger in a greenhouse for maximum yield in the least amount of space. This is important because ginger is a high value crop best planted in a greenhouse. Small farms, such as ourselves, have limited greenhouse space and must balance valuable real estate among many crops. For this study, ginger was planted in-ground at four different spacing patterns. Ginger was also planted in fabric containers at three different seeding rates. All ginger was harvested on the same day at the end of the season and then weighed by individual in-ground plot or container.
Though this was a two-season study, and our data is limited by the crop failure in 2022, the 2021 data has revealed some interesting trends. In regards to the research beds, though the 8” single row plot produced the greatest percentage growth increase from seed to harvested ginger, this came at a cost total harvested weight, ie. ginger at this spacing grew very well but at the cost of total yields because the initial planting was so small. In contrast, the 4” double row plot produced the greatest yield by weight, likely due to it being the most heavily planted. However, this plot had the lowest percent growth increase, suggesting that perhaps ginger grew less ideally in such a heavily planted area.
Of the remaining plots, despite nearly equal starting seed weight, 8” double row was greater than 4” single row in both harvested weight and percent growth increase. These results suggest that ginger is again benefitting from greater space between plants. In comparison to the 8” single row plot, 8” double yielded nearly twice the harvested weight and just below the highest percent increase. Compared to the 4” double row, 8” double again fares very well with nearly the same amount of harvested ginger by weight and more than double the percent growth increase.
Based on the 2021 data, an 8” double row has emerged as the most optimal spacing for growing ginger in a greenhouse. This planting pattern allows for the most amount of ginger to be planted without overcrowding the plants. Such overcrowding may lead to smaller yields due to competition for water, light and nutrients.
Similarly, in both our 2021 and 2022 research containers, grow pots that contained one or two pieces of seed resulted in the highest percent growth increase compared to those with four seed pieces. Though total yield by weight was higher in some of the 4 seed pots, those with 2 seed again appear to strike the balance between yield and maximum increase from seed to harvest. Due to the space requirements of growing in containers versus in-ground, we do not recommend them as the most ideal method for maximizing harvest. That said, should a grower desire to grow the largest ginger rhizomes possible, perhaps as “show pieces,” then this method may be ideal.
Education & Outreach Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Down East Magazine, September 2022 issue
On August 5th, 2021, our farm hosted a field day tour of our farm operations and we spent a significant amount of time in our ginger tunnel talking about our ginger production practices. The groups involved were Maine Agriability and the Maine Veteran Farmer Boots to Bushels group. There were three service providers and 12 farmers on the tour. The 4th service provider referenced above is our technical advisor, Dave Fuller.
On June 21st, 2022, we hosted the Mt. Blue Garden Club and talked about how ginger might be able to be adapted to home gardens. Of interest to this group was the research ginger growing in pots, an adaptation that home gardeners tight on space might use or even use for indoor growing inside their homes. There were 18 people on this tour.
On July 26th, 2022 our farm again hosted a field day tour for the Maine Veteran Farmer Boots to Bushels group. There were two service providers and 15 farmers on the tour.
In the September 2022 issue of Downeast Magazine we were featured for our ginger growing experiment and SARE was referenced.
On November 7th, 2022, our farm presented a workshop on our Northeast SARE Grant methods and results at the annual Maine Organic Farmers & Growers Association (MOFGA) Farmer to Farmer Conference. The workshop was attended by eight MOFGA members and one member of MOFGA staff. This workshop was very helpful in terms of giving us a place to have a discussion with other ginger growers about their methods. We were somewhat relieved and interested to hear that many Maine ginger growers saw similar results in 2022 with very bad die off in their ginger plots, thus affecting yields. The technical advisor in the room suggested that the cold weather in June might have caused dampening off in ginger shoots and we talked at lengthen about possibly using heated water in the beginning of the season to combat cold soil temperatures.
Learning Outcomes
Ginger growing knowledge possessed by the participants ranged from zero to multi-year growing experience. Key areas in which farmers reported changes in knowledge included: ginger as a viable and profitable crop in New England, best practices for growing ginger in a high tunnel, and how to source seed ginger for production.
At the MOFGA Farmer to Farmer Conference, we strongly suggested that farmers use a double row method for planting, as a single row method did not seem to be the best use of greenhouse/high tunnel space. We stated that we are going to do more research on actual planting spacing so we encouraged others to experiment with 4 inch and 8 inch spacing to see what kind of yields might be possible. We believe this will be adapted by farmers attending our workshop session.
Project Outcomes
Though our farm had mixed success in growing ginger in this study, we feel that our overall experience with the Northeast SARE Farmer Grant has been positive. In the ten seasons that we have grown produce, we have never had the opportunity to examine the growing methods and yields of a single crop in the way this grant has allowed us. With the success of our 2021 growing season and despite the failure of our 2022 harvest, we believe that growing ginger is a valuable enterprise Rustic Roots Farm. Further, we are already considering ways to build upon the knowledge gained by our research. In 2023, we intend to compare our most efficient in-ground growing method, 8" double row, with a 8" triple row planting. This is, in part, due to a post workshop conversation with another Maine ginger grower who has had positive results with the triple row. Also, we will continue to utilize fabric grow containers, but in a limited fashion, to produce large "show piece" hands of ginger for social media marketing.
In sum, we believe that our study's methods were sound and based upon the general body of knowledge related to growing ginger in New England as well as our prior knowledge from two seasons of growing. Our 2021 growing season was a success and a template for how we intend to grow ginger for profit in the future. We will abandon the single row method of planting ginger, as our data shows we can get significantly higher yields with more intense spacing. Even our crop failure in 2022 has revealed important insights for future seasons, particularly the need to start the incubation process earlier in the spring and to be followed up with a period of hardening off to best prepare ginger seed for our climate. One change we intend to make in 2023 is to move our ginger out of our high tunnel, which is also used as our seedling propagation area, and into its own greenhouse. We are excited to continue to refine our ginger growing methods and plan to share our knowledge with other small growers in Maine.
One factor that we didn't consider when creating this project proposal was the variation in harvest and washing times that we would find based on the ginger yields. In the wider spacing, we got larger ginger hands that were easier to trim and wash. In the tighter spacing, we had smaller, more numerous ginger plants to harvest and clean. When determining the profitability of this crop, a proper enterprise budget with a laser focus on harvest labor and cleaning times would allow us to make more informed decisions about planting density.