Progress report for FNE24-096
Project Information
Baby ginger represents a potentially high-value crop of interest to diverse retail customers. While ginger has been grown successfully as a Northeast niche crop, it typically requires substantial initial investment for seed stock and, given the time to harvestable maturity, commitment of a protective growing environment. Ginger has high profit potential as a standalone crop, but these investments may deter farmers from growing ginger. However, cost and time-related barriers to production might be mitigated by reducing infrastructure costs and increasing overall revenue. This project aims to determine whether total row-foot profitability can be increased by incorporating intercropping practices to ginger production and whether ginger productivity can be maintained with lower infrastructure inputs than previously thought. Ginger will be grown in raised beds in three different environments—a high tunnel from planting to harvest, a caterpillar tunnel erected in late summer, and in the field without protective cover. Two additional annual vegetables (carrots and green beans) will be interplanted alongside ginger in each of these environments during the first half of the seasons and compared to a ginger-only control crop, with yields of all crops compared across growing environments to determine production success. Demonstrating that ginger can be successfully grown with reduced infrastructure costs while increasing revenue from the production space via intercropping may encourage ginger production among Northeast growers toward boosting farm profits. Findings will be disseminated to regional farmers and Extension professionals via social media, onsite tours and workshops, a conference presentation, and a published fact sheet and journal article.
There are two primary objectives for this trial:
Objective 1: Evaluate the yield of baby ginger in an intercropping system with two distinct interplanted annual vegetable crops (carrots and green beans) toward maximizing row-foot profitability of production space.
Objective 2: Compare the productivity of baby ginger with and without the two interplanted annual vegetable crops across three distinct growing environments (field-grown, caterpillar tunnel, high tunnel) towards demonstrating potential for reduced infrastructure needs.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale), grown as “baby” or “young” ginger in the Northeast, is a high-value crop with a retail value between $14-$20 per pound. Maintenance needs are minimal after planting, with only standard weed control and hilling once or twice during the season required. Pest and disease pressure is low, especially in the Northeast where ginger is treated as a tender annual crop. With a diverse customer base potentially interested in baby ginger throughout the Northeast, there is potential for ginger to boost farm sales and profitability.
However, there are significant production constraints, including the time to maturity (nearly 5 months from planting to harvest) and the need for a protective tunnel to provide a warm environment, particularly during the spring and fall seasons. While the price point at retail sale is high, the commitment to dedicate valuable growing space in a protective tunnel to just one crop (i.e., ginger) for most of the growing season can be a drawback for farmers, especially considering ginger’s harvest window is limited to 4-6 weeks in the fall.
If farmers can increase the overall revenue from production space dedicated to ginger by interplanting with other crops that can be harvested and sold during the first half of the season, it could further justify the time and space investment. Therefore, this proposal seeks to explore ginger yield within an intercropping system to maximize row-foot productivity (Objective 1).
Yet even with the potential for additional income from interplanted crops, farmers may still find it difficult to allocate valuable high tunnel space to ginger production. As ginger is most commonly grown in tropical and subtropical climates around the world, it has generally been understood that protective covering is required for Northeast ginger production. In colder states throughout the region, there may not be an alternative, especially when late-season frost can damage this tender crop. However, considering shifting climate patterns in our region, it may be possible to produce strong ginger yields by only providing a protective environment in the fall using a more affordable, temporary structure (caterpillar tunnel), or perhaps without protection altogether in the more southern states of the Northeast region. Therefore, this proposed trial also seeks to determine the necessity of using protective tunnels for successful ginger production in the Northeast (Objective 2).
This trial will compare nine different growing scenarios. Ginger will be grown in a high tunnel for the entire season, as is the standard practice. Ginger will also be grown in the field, unprotected until September when a caterpillar tunnel will be erected over the existing crop to provide late-season protection. Lastly, it will be grown in the field without a protective tunnel for the entire season. In this final scenario, low-tech frost protection such as row cover may be used if necessary, based on weather forecasts. In addition to the level of protection being trialed, the ginger will also be interplanted with two distinct crops (carrots and green beans) and in a stand-alone production setting (as a control) to assess the overall value potential of the production spaces. The yields of both the ginger and, when present, the secondary crop grown in each of the three environments will be documented and evaluated. Outcomes of this trial, including recommendations for intercropping practices and low-input ginger production in the Northeast, will be shared extensively with regional farmers through on-site farm tours, presentation at the NJ Agriculture Convention, and publication of a fact sheet and journal article.
With high value potential, ginger is a niche crop worth considering for Northeast farmers. Especially as pest and disease pressures evolve in the context of a changing climate, diversified crop production will be key to the success of sustainable farms. However, adoption of ginger by farmers in the Northeast likely depends on maximizing profitability, including by increasing the overall value of the production space and minimizing infrastructure needs. If successful, the proposed trial will demonstrate how farmers can improve profitability with sustainable ginger production in an intercropping system.
The Rutgers Gardens Student Farm (RGSF) has been in operation since 2016. There is currently just over one acre in production, which produces over $100,000 in diversified vegetables. The Farm has three primary distribution outlets—one farmers market, a 90-member CSA, and donations to local food emergency organizations. Revenue from all three outlets contribute to covering the Farm’s operational costs. The produce donations comprise 40-50% of the total harvest, which are subsidized by private and institutional contributions.
The Farm Manager (Alex Sawatzky) has been growing diversified vegetables commercially in New jersey for 15 years, including baby ginger for 8 years. He also co-authored an article published in 2023 by the Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA), titled Exploring Production Practices and Market Potential of Baby Ginger in Temperate Climates. While it is known that baby ginger can be grown successfully in the Northeast, Alex is committed to maximizing its potential while reducing constraints for the RGSF and other farms in the region.
For this trial, field space and specific infrastructure are required. The RGSF has a high tunnel and caterpillar tunnel on site to offer the multiple growing environments needed for this proposal. Resources pertaining to outreach include the networks cultivated during the Farm Manager’s career as a farmer in the region, including those afforded by being affiliated with Rutgers University and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. As such, conference presentations, workshops, and fact sheets are legitimate aspirations.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
Research
This project is being conducted at the Rutgers Gardens Student Farm (RGSF), located within Rutgers Gardens- the official botanic garden of Rutgers,
the State University of New Jersey. Assistant Director of Sustainable Agriculture and Urban Farms Alex Sawatzky is leading the project; participating in the research plot layout, establishment, planting, and harvesting; and completing data collection, documentation, and reporting for this project. Additional support, including bed preparation, planting, general plant care and maintenance, harvesting, and data collection under the guidance of Alex Sawatzky is being provided by RGSF seasonal staff and university student interns. To meet the project objectives, baby ginger was grown as a stand-alone crop and interplanted with carrots and green beans (Objective 1) in three distinct growing environments- high tunnel cover, late-season caterpillar tunnel cover, and full season field grown with no cover (Objective 2). The RGSF purchased ginger seed from Hawaii Clean Seed, a
reputable source that offers certified organic seed stock. Upon receiving the ginger seed (rhizomes), the ginger was pre-sprouted in a soilless potting mix in 1020 flats. The flats were placed in a walk-in cooler converted into a sprouting chamber that is climate-controlled with a space heater set at 72 degrees 4 weeks for the pre-sprouting process. When the sprouts began to emerge, the flats were moved onto heat mats in the greenhouse for another 5 weeks. Once the danger of frost passed, the sprouted seed pieces were planted on May 20th in furrows as a single row spaced at 6” in the aforementioned growing environments (high tunnel, field- to be covered, field- remaining uncovered).
Designated high tunnel (existing structure) and field space on the RGSF were allotted to this project.
Each field bed measures 3’x100’. Two full field beds were planted. To establish planting replicates for comparing stand-alone ginger to intercropped
plantings (Objective 1), each bed was split into three planting sections: stand-alone ginger, ginger with carrots, and ginger with green beans. A two-foot buffer will be maintained between each section. The high tunnel beds are 3’x32’, so three beds (90 row feet growing space) will be planted with ginger. To mimic field plantings, each 32’ bed will contain a different crop treatment: stand-alone ginger, ginger and carrots, ginger and green beans. To ensure accurate planting and data collection, beds will be labeled with a system that denotes the growing condition and crop treatment. For example, HT-01 represents High Tunnel (growing condition) and stand-alone ginger (crop treatment 1). Data collection sheets detailing bed labels, crop types, and dates will be pre-printed for use documenting crop weights obtained from each bed during harvests.
Bed preparation, including compost (2yd3 per 300ft2) and fertilization (2lbs N per 1,000ft2), were the same for all the production spaces to reduce the
variability between beds. The ginger was planted after the carrots and beans were already established. Green beans were seeded on both shoulders of the ginger beds on 5/8 and carrots were seeded in the same fashion on 4/26, so the ginger was planted in-between two rows of the secondary crops on 5/20. The interplanted crops were chosen not only because of their diversity of type (root crop, nitrogen-fixing legume), but also because they mature and are harvestable prior to mid-July when the first hilling of the ginger usually takes place.
To allow for the comparison of harvestable ginger and intercrop yields across the three growing environments (Objective 2), one field bed of ginger and accompanying crops will be covered with a 16’x100’ caterpillar tunnel in late August/ early September.
Carrots and green beans interplanted with the ginger crop were harvested when they reached maturity, with the final harvest of these crops completed by mid-July. Green Beans were harvested three times per week across two weeks, beginning late June. All of the carrots were harvested at one time. Harvest weights for each crop and date of harvest will be recorded at each harvest event. The original intention was that the ginger would have been harvested from all three growing environments beginning in mid to late September as the ginger plants reach maturity. Two row feet of ginger harvested weekly from each of the three crop treatments within each replicate (54’ total). However, there was a 100% crop loss with our ginger due to disease (Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum) and thus there was not any harvest data to record.
Qualitative observations related to weather events, weed pressure, and overall successes, challenges, and failures were also documented throughout the season and discussed in subsequent sections.
The only deviation from the original methods was that the replicates were not implemented as outlined below in the proposal. The replicates that have three planting sections and three planting combinations within each replicate will be established in our 2025 trial to ensure the accuracy and integrity of our results.
To establish planting replicates for comparing stand-alone ginger to intercropped plantings (Objective 1), each bed will be split into three planting sections (replicates). Within each replicate, three crop planting combinations (treatments) will be established: stand-alone ginger, ginger with carrots, and ginger with green beans. A one-foot buffer will be maintained between each treatment within the replicates; a two-foot buffer will be maintained between each replicate. The high tunnel beds are 3’x32’, so three beds (90 row feet growing space) will be planted with ginger. To mimic field replicates, each 30’ bed will be divided into three sections for a total of three replicates of each crop treatment (stand-alone ginger, ginger and carrots, ginger and green beans) per bed. A one-foot buffer will be maintained between each treatment. To ensure accurate planting and data collection, beds will be labeled with a system that denotes the growing condition, replicate, and crop treatment. For example, HT-01-01 represents High Tunnel (growing condition), replicate 1 of 3, ginger (crop treatment 1).
The weather during 2024 growing season was abnormal compared to recent history. It was exceedingly hot and dry during crop establishment in the spring, which transitioned to hot and humid in early summer. This likely had some impact on the severity of the bacterial wilt, but it did not cause it. Ginger is a crop that is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and is not averse to heat and humidity. However, temperatures in the 90's is higher than ideal and does contribute to plant stress. As the disease pressure was consistent in all three growing environments and planting combinations, it is likely that this was a seedborne pathogen that was exacerbated by environmental conditions. The early-season heat may have also contributed to the low carrot yield in the high tunnel. Seeding the high tunnel carrots in March or earlier would eliminate high temperatures as a variable when assessing yield.
While there is no harvest data for ginger due to crop failure, the yields for the secondary crops (beans and carrots) can be found in Table 1 and Table 2. The carrot totals are underwhelming. The field-grown carrots intercropped with ginger in block 1 had an average yield, with block 3 and the high tunnel
plantings underperforming. It is unclear whether this was due to environmental conditions or an excess of fertility. Ginger is a heavy feeder and carrots are not. Carrots can be negatively affected by excessive fertility, causing them to grow abnormally such as forking. A significant amount the carrots grown in all of the intercropping systems were not fresh market quality. The exact percentage was not recorded, but this data point collection will be a part of the 2025 trial.
The bean yields were the highlight of the trial. The field-grown beans matched or exceeded industry yield standards (3-4 lbs. per 10 row feet). All of the
bean plantings in the trial formed a dense canopy as they reached maturity. While ginger benefits from some level of shade, airflow could be a concern. However, there were no signs that the ginger planted with the beans experienced greater disease pressure or earlier failing than those planted as a stand-alone crop or with carrots. The high tunnel once again underperformed, with roughly half the production as the two field beds. This could be attributed to excessive fertility and/or blossom drop due to temperatures above 85 degrees. The bean plants in the high tunnel looked healthy and vigorous but lacked heavy blossom or fruit set. The plants also became infested with spider mites and had to be pulled prior to the final harvest. The hot and dry spring was already conducive for the proliferation of spider mite populations, and coupled with the high tunnel conditions, it was difficult to control. Carrots and beans may not be optimal companions for ginger in high tunnels, unless they are planted two to three weeks earlier than they would normally be seeded in the field and can be harvested before the summer heat arrives.
Table 1: Harvest and yield data for beans intercropped with ginger. B1BG=block 1 beans & ginger; B3BG=block 3 beans & ginger; HTBG=high tunnel beans and ginger.
| Beans | 6/26 | 6/28 | 7/1 | 7/3 | 7/5 | 7/8 | Total |
| B1BG | 7.6 | 18.7 | 12.4 | 11.8 | 15.1 | 7.2 | 72.8 lbs. beans |
| B3BG | 8 | 25.7 | 14.6 | 13.1 | 12.4 | 14.7 | 88.5 lbs. beans |
| HTBG | 7.2 | 8.4 | 10.9 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 0 | 39.3 lbs. beans |
Table 2: Harvest and yield data for carrots intercropped with ginger. B1CG=block 1 carrots & ginger; B3CG=block 3 carrots & ginger; HTCG=high tunnel carrots and ginger.
| Carrots | 7/11 |
| B1CG | 72.1 lbs. carrots |
| B3CG | 58.2 lbs. carrots |
| HTCG | 32.1 lbs. carrots |
We sought out to conduct a yield comparison of ginger grown as a stand-alone crop to ginger intercropped with carrots and green beans in three distinct growing environments (full-season high tunnel, late-season caterpillar tunnel, field grown without cover) that evaluates row-foot productivity across growing conditions. Our objective was not met due to a failed crop of ginger. We will trial the same research project in 2025 with documented adjustments. With a disease-free ginger seed stock and adjustments made to the timing of the secondary crops, the results could result in increased income and reduced infrastructure expenses. The final report will include data from 2024 and 2025, enterprise budgets for all three crops, and conclusions with any final recommendations.
Education & Outreach Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Three tours were hosted at the Student Farm across May and June 2024. The tour on 5/15 was for grad fellows in an environmental sustainability program; the tour on 6/11 was for NJ producers as a part of a farmer-to-farmer training network, and the tour on 6/22 was for interested. community members, including aspiring farmers. The ginger trial, including the project's goals and a progress update, was discussed at length during each of the
three tours.
An Organic Pest and Disease Management workshop was hosted on the Farm on 9/18. Rutgers' plant pathology expert was one of the guest speakers, and he shared his knowledge of the bacterial wilt (Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum) that was found on the ginger samples as well as advice for future mitigation of the disease.
Learning Outcomes
- Seed sourcing is an important consideration for any farmer and requires diligence. Even when a farmer has used the same source for many years, issues with quality and dependability may arise. Sometimes fixing those issue may not be immediately possible but learning from the experience and taking measures to avoid similar challenges in the future are what make a farmer resilient and successful in the long run. The Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum is not a pathogen that many farmers were familiar with, so it was a valuable experience to become more knowledgeable about a serious crop disease that can impact those that grow ginger. Knowing potential pests and diseases allows farmers to then be proactive instead of reactive.
- Intercropping can be a challenging puzzle as there are many considerations. Being able to observe with purpose and hypothesize about successful and unsuccessful pairings is an important skill. For example, carrots have lower fertility requirements whereas ginger is a heavy feeder. The two might not be the best match unless heavier fertilizer applications can be delayed until the carrots have been harvested or if the regular fertilizer applications required by ginger can be more targeted to avoid overfertilizing the carrots.
Project Outcomes
While this project experienced crop failure and is incomplete, there is optimism that we still may achieve the goals of increasing income and reducing expenses that we set out to accomplish with this trial. We will try the ginger trial again in 2025 and look forward to sharing the results and project outcomes.
We were unable to answer the question we set out to study due to experiencing crop failure with our ginger. We do not believe our methods contributed to the crop failure, as the results were the same across all three growing environments and crop treatments. We have also grown ginger using this approach previously and have had success with intercropping ginger. If we are able to source disease-free seed stock and institute best practices to ensure crop health, we believe the outcome will still be valuable to existing and aspiring ginger growers.
Organic growers around the country would benefit from these results, particularly due to the dearth certified organic ginger seed suppliers. All the farmers that I know that grow ginger organically source their seed from the same company and many experienced similar losses in 2024. If that source is compromised moving forward, farmers should be made aware so they can make the best decision for their business.