YELLOW Turmeric (rhizome) Plant Indoors or OUTDOOR

Turmeric,Yellow Variety (rhizome) Grow Your own ,Grow Indoors or Outdoors. Turmeric. It’s one of those exotic and mysterious crops that so many gardeners lust after. Most people are familiar with turmeric as a golden, good-for-you ground spice in curry, but aren’t sure how it grows – or even what the plant looks like! While it is certainly unique, turmeric is not all that difficult to grow! With a few adaptations, you can grow turmeric successfully in most climates. We’ve been growing our own turmeric for years! Days to germination.

• Days to harvest: 250 days or more (8 to 10 months)
• Light requirements: Full sun, or slight shade
• Water requirements: Regular watering
• Soil: Well-drained soil
• Container: Necessary for most climates

Introduction

Turmeric is likely best known as a pungent and bright yellow spice in Indian cuisine. It’s a tropical plant, and can only be grown outdoors if you live in zones 9 or warmer. Your plants won’t be able to tolerate any climate colder than 65F.

Turmeric is different from most herbs in that you are not going to be harvesting the leaves, but the roots instead. The plant grows an underground tuber, or rhizome much like ginger does. It can take up to 10 months for a new crop of roots to develop, and it’s not a plant that you can harvest in small pieces through the season.

It’s closely related to ginger, and has a similar strong taste that is a little hard to describe. Turmeric is the main ingredient in most Indian curry powders. It sometimes goes by the name of Indian saffron but is not related to saffron at all.

Aside from its power as a seasoning, there is growing evidence of the health benefits from this herb. It’s high in anti-oxidants and may have anti-inflammatory or even anti-caner properties.

Starting from Seed

 start your turmeric plants, but using roots instead. 

2. Break up the rhizome
Break larger rhizome into smaller pieces. Make sure each piece has a bud or two on it.
3. Use a large pot
Start off with a pot large enough to grow a nice root system. The larger the pot, the larger the root will grow. This, of course, will depend on how much indoor space you have.
Make sure your pots have drainage holes so that the soil will drain well. Fill your pot with slightly moistened, rich, organic soil.
4. Planting
Plant the rhizomes two inches beneath the soil, making sure that the buds are facing up. Turmeric prefers sunlight but will grow under artificial grow lights.
5. Water
Turmeric grows better when it is kept moist, especially in hot climates. Water it about every two days, and spray it with a mist bottle between watering.
When the weather is cold, you will not need to water it as often. You always want the soil to be moist, but never soggy!
6. Fertilize:
Fertilize your turmeric plant twice a month. You can use organic fertilizer or make your own compost.
When Is Harvest Time?
One downside to growing turmeric is it takes about 8-10 months to mature. Furthermore, it is best to harvest the root in one entire piece.

After the 8-10 months, when you feel that the roots are large enough, it is time to dig them up.