Ginger is a perennial grown for its root, ready to pull about 240 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 12 and stands up to deer. Its flowers are a modest draw for native bees, even though the root is the prize.
Ginger — the short answer
Ginger: grown in zones 8–12, full sun, pH 4.3–7.5, about 240 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 8–12
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 9a–12b
- Soil pH
- 4.3–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Converted from Courtesy of University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension
- Days to Maturity
- 240 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Ginger on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether ginger actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score ginger against your land's real conditions.
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What Ginger is
Ginger grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It's also deer-resistant.
Mature height and deer resistance: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Ginger
Ginger grows in USDA zones 8 through 12 and is ready to harvest about 240 days after planting. Ginger does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.3 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 3,000 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-12
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 9a–12b
Soil pH
4.3 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Converted from Courtesy of University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension
Drainage
well (dry spells)
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
55.4°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
240 days
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
3000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
3 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sow directly
Sow ginger seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Ginger prefers pH 4.3 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Ginger is ready about 240 days after sowing. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones.
Where Ginger thrives
Ginger is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 12. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 8–12 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 2 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Two different numbers hide in that range: zones 8–12 is where ginger is GROWN, but it survives winter in the ground only down to zone 9 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Colder than that, it is grown as an annual or brought under cover.
Zones 8–12·Where Ginger growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Ginger stands, state by state
Ginger is rated for zones 8–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 2 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
26 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 26 shown
Ginger’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Ginger
Growing guides for ginger
Related plants in vegetable
Good to know
Ginger offers low value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest ginger, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant ginger for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Ginger's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Ginger will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether ginger actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Ginger
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Ginger in my zone?
Ginger grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 12. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Ginger take to grow?
Ginger is ready to harvest about 240 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Ginger?
Most growers plant ginger after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Ginger need?
Ginger needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Ginger need?
Ginger prefers soil pH 4.3 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Ginger attract pollinators?
Yes — ginger's flowers are a modest nectar source for native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Ginger
Ginger state by state
Every state ginger's zone reaches — 20 link straight to that state's ginger growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.