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TEXT & pHOTOs By

lyNETTE MORGAN , pH.D.

Spicing it up
Spice gardens for beginners
First in a series
Ginger is easy for beginning hydroponic gardeners to to grow from store brought rhizomes, which will sprout from buds into new ginger plants. Just make sure you provide enough heat

For many beginners, part of the fun of hydroponics is being able to serve something fresh and fragrant to spice up meals and impress dinner guests. While a succulent tomato with a sprinkling of aromatic basil straight from the hydroponic garden is certainly a good start, its just that a start. There are plenty of gourmet flavors that the hydroponic gardener will find easy to grow. Some of our most treasured herbs and spices really are better fresh, and you dont need to be a gourmet chef or a highly experienced gardener to have these growing readily on hand. Many of the plants from which we obtain spices and flavorings are not delicate plants

at all lemon grass when mature tough and fibrous and can handle a lot of mauling round, pulling apart and crushing to release its lemony lime scented oil. Many of the species of edible ginger that grow from underground rhizomes can handle a lack of water and even humid, over-heated grow rooms with ease. Even saffron, the most delicate of spices, is adapted to hot dry summers and cold winters, so a comfy grow room or window box can produce a nice harvest of golden strands. Hydroponic hobbyists have even produced vanilla orchids indoors; although these plants can get quite large and could easily fill a room with their trailing vines. For those who like Asian inspired dishes,

there are a good range of exotic herb and spice plants which mesh well together Kaffier lime leaves and fruit, fresh ginger, sliced galangal, lemongrass and garlic can all be grown hydroponically in a relatively small space provided they are kept trimmed and compact. For those who like hot spicy curries, chilies, curry leaf and turmeric can also be grown in containers, although they need a little more space than the average herb garden. And for lovers of delicate dishes saffron, produced by the crocus bulb, is perhaps one of the easiest of all hydroponic spices to grow in a small space, with the advantage of also providing beautiful autumn blooms.

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heat and humidity of a well lit grow room, Setting up a spice garden A designated spice garden can although some ventilation is still needed be a wonderful achievement for to control disease and allow the plants to someone new to hydroponics and transpire. perhaps produces some of the most Specific herb and spice plants rewarding crops for the home gourThe Ginger family (Zingiberaceae) There are met. Herbs and spices grown in this a few different species of the Zingiberaceae way are not only guaranteed to be family used in a huge range of cuisines, all fresh but also free from contaminaof which grow well hydroponically. The tion with preservatives and many of most well known is the traditional ginger the agrichemicals which may have spice (Zingiber officinale) we can buy as been used in production of coma rhizome or in powdered form in the sumercially available spices. Herb and permarket. There is also Myoga or Japanese spice gardens are also wonderfully ginger (Zingibar mioga), of which the young aromatic and attractive as well as flower buds and leaves are used to flavor soups being something a little different. and various dishes. Another member of this Hydroponic systems for spice family, galangal or Thai ginger is similar in gardens should incorporate a large appearance to ginger, with a much milder flapot, container or grow bed area vor, and is used sliced in many Thai dishes. with plenty of vertical space for All gingers are relatively easy to grow prothe larger plants. The area needs vided they have sufficient warmth optimum to be divided into the smaller and is 75F (24C) high humidity and moderate larger or longer term herbs and light, in fact in some climates they can become spices. Growing media should be Some spice plants, like this cardamom, can grow quite free draining perlite and large and need sufficient space to reach maturity. vermiculite mixtures are A small hydroponic barrel garden growing tumbler cocktail tomatos on the left and galangal, a mild great for small trees such as ginger-like rhizome used in Asian dishes on the right Spice garden basics kaffier lime, while cocofibe is a great Most of the spice and exotic herb-flavor- media for those that develop tubers ing plants that can be grown hydroponically and rhizomes, such as the different originate in tropical or subtropical climates. types of ginger and turmeric, makThis means they are generally not fussy about ing selective harvesting from the day length, but they do like some heat. Most plants much easier. Saffron needs ginger species, vanilla orchids, cardamom, a free draining, sterilie media but turmeric the curry leaf plant, lemongrass can be grown in shallow trays or and chilies like year round warmth with an pots since the plants dont grow optimum of 70 to 86 degrees F (22 to 30C,) much taller than around 20 cm. making a well-lit grow room a good choice. Its also a good idea to have a Many of these plants can be grown in a heated small propagation area with a greenhouse or outdoors in summer and then bottom heat pad and some form brought inside to over-winter in containers. of misting (even manual) where Some, like Kaffier lime and lemongrass are ready for harvest year round the aromatic replacement plants can be raised leaves can be plucked and used in cooking from seeds, cuttings, rhizomes and whenever they are needed. Others, such as bulbs. Most of these plants like modersaffron, need to be harvested at a certain time ate to good levels of light, which is of year and dried for longer storage. Many of these plants are perennial or at usually sufficient outdoors or in a least, like the gingers, are self perpetuating greenhouse in summer, but indoor and continue to grow from rhizomes con- grow rooms and low light winter tained in the growing media. Others, such areas need artificial lamps. HPS as lemon grass and garlic, are best started as lighting is great for many of these crops; they can handle much of the new offsets or seedlings every year or so.
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More cold hardy than ginger and difficult to kill with neglect, galangal is a good start for a new spice garden.

invasive weeds due to their rampant growth and rate of spread. Thus ginger plants need to be confined to a container when grown

outdoors. Ginger, which is widely used as a spice, is an easy plant to start in hydroponics. The plant can be grown from fresh, healthy rhizomes, which can be purchased at supermarkets, produce stores or Asian markets. The thick, light-brown colored rhizome consists of many knobbly buds which form at the end of each branch. If these are planted into a warm, moist media and given sufficient light they will sprout into large shoots with roots developing from the rhizome. Rhizomes used to grow new ginger plants should be fresh and firm, not withered looking, which occurs when they have been stored too long. The cut ends of the rhizome can be prone to rotting when planted out. However, these can be dusted with a fungicide powder if necessary. The new shoots form within a few weeks, and once this has occurred the rhizome in the media will begin to develop new buds and expand outwards producing a good supply of fresh ginger. Harvesting of the new rhizome growth can be carried out once the plant has become fully established with many new shoots and

No spice garden would be complete without a few chili plants.

plenty of active growth. In hydroponic systems the whole plant does not need to be pulled out by digging down alongside the plant a piece of fresh rhizome growth can be cut from the main rhizome with a sharp knife and the plant left to continue growing. Young ginger can be harvested after only three months growth for use fresh, although stronger flavor develops in rhizomes that are harvested after six months of development. The delicate young shoots of the ginger plant can also be harvested when around three inches high these are considered a delicacy in many dishes and in vigorous hydroponic plants a few shoots can be regularly harvested in this way. Under good conditions, ginger plants can become too large and outgrow their container or pot. In this case the plant can be removed for harvest and small pieces of rhizome used to start a new smaller plant in its place. Young ginger also makes an attractive hydroponic house plant and can be grown in the kitchen or bathroom where warmth and humidity levels help maintain growth rates. Of the many different type of ginger, Galangal seems to grow particularly well in hydroponics and is very forgiving of new and inexperienced growers. This type of ginger seems more cold tolerant than others and although the foliage might die back in a cool winter greenhouse or outdoors, it resprouts in spring. Yet another member of the Zingiberaceae family is Turmeric, which like ginger grows from a rhizome which can often be purchased in Asian specialty stores. Turmeric can be grown hydroponically in much the same way as ginger and used with fresh or dried and ground to create the distinctive yellow powdered spice. In the next articles in this series on spice gardens will examine how to grow exotic saffron, kaffier lime, garlic, chilies, lemongrass and curry leaf.

Lynette Morgan is a regular contributor to The Growing Edge Magazine. She is co-owner of Suntec Hydroponic Consultants in New Zealand.
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