How to Grow Food Grade Ginger Roots

Obtain fresh ginger root, which is actually the rhizome from which the true roots of ginger plants sprout, from your local grocery store, farmer's market or Asian food store. The best tubers for growing your own ginger at home are plump, fleshy specimens with a smooth, shiny exterior. The buds, also known as "eyes," are the buds of new ginger plants.

Fill your planter about 3/4 full with well-draining, nutrient-rich potting soil, and put it in a place that will provide your ginger plant with adequate heat and sunlight. The Kew Royal Botanical Garden website notes that cultivated ginger requires humid, shady growing conditions to mimic its native tropical lowland environment. A heavy feeder, ginger plants benefit from fertile, loamy soils devoid of rocks, as they prevent the growth of thick rhizomes.

Cut your ginger rhizome into 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch pieces, with each piece having at least one eye. The University of Florida IFAS Extension website states that leaving these cuttings out to allow the freshly exposed surfaces to air-dry reduces the chance of rotting. Cover each piece of cut ginger root with 1 or 2 inches of soil, the side with new buds facing upward, and water thoroughly.

Put your potted ginger in a sunny spot until new sprouts shoot up. Move the containers to a shadier area that receives bright, indirect sunlight. The Kew Royal Botanical Gardens reports that ginger plants benefit from regular feedings of calcium nitrate, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium mix and daily watering through most of the year, except through winter dormancy when the soil needs to be kept only slightly moist.