{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "ginger",
  "botanical_name": "Zingiber officinale",
  "categories": [
    "rhizome crop",
    "warm-season crop",
    "container crop"
  ],
  "common_name": "Ginger",
  "difficulty": "Moderate",
  "family": "Zingiberaceae",
  "growth_habits": [
    "upright",
    "clumping"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Tender perennial, often grown as an annual",
  "requirements": {
    "container": {
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 30,
      "minimum_volume_litres": 20,
      "plants_per_container": 1
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "September",
        "October"
      ]
    },
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 2,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 4
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "frost_tolerant": false,
      "label": "Warm root zone",
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 20,
      "note": "Aim for sustained soil warmth; indoor or heated greenhouse growing is most dependable in the UK."
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "maximum": 6.5,
      "minimum": 5.5
    },
    "spacing": {
      "maximum_cm": 45,
      "minimum_cm": 45
    }
  },
  "summary": "Grow culinary ginger in warmth and bright filtered light, using a broad container for tender baby rhizomes or a longer protected season for mature ginger.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-ginger",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/19233/zingiber-officinale/details",
      "supports": [
        "botanical_name",
        "family",
        "propagation",
        "protected_cultivation",
        "pests"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wisconsin-ginger",
      "publisher": "University of Wisconsin Extension",
      "url": "https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ginger-zingiber-officinale/",
      "supports": [
        "soil_temperature",
        "planting_depth",
        "harvest",
        "dormancy"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "virginia-ginger",
      "publisher": "Virginia Cooperative Extension",
      "url": "https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/Timely_Topics/Ginger.html",
      "supports": [
        "container_diameter",
        "propagation",
        "watering",
        "overwintering"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uf-ginger-production",
      "publisher": "University of Florida IFAS Extension",
      "url": "https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP638",
      "supports": [
        "plant_identity",
        "planting_stock",
        "container_volume",
        "spacing",
        "feeding"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nc-ginger",
      "publisher": "North Carolina Cooperative Extension",
      "url": "https://caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu/news/ginger-and-turmeric-tropical-superfoods-for-the-garden/",
      "supports": [
        "light",
        "baby_ginger",
        "storage"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "illinois-ginger",
      "publisher": "University of Illinois Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/how-grow-tropical-ginger-home-spice",
      "supports": [
        "early_start",
        "planting_stock",
        "maturity"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uf-marion-ginger",
      "publisher": "University of Florida IFAS Extension Marion County",
      "url": "https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/marionco/2023/09/01/growing-turmeric-ginger-in-florida-part-1-of-2/",
      "supports": [
        "soil_ph",
        "soil",
        "rhizome_selection"
      ]
    }
  ]
}