Getting the ginger and turmeric seeds that first year was a fairly straightforward process. We did some googling, found an organic ginger farm out in Hawaii, and ordered enough seed to give us a good challenge.
The seeds arrived in February. And shortly thereafter, we built a box called a “germination chamber” and planted the seeds in flats of soil and waited for the little sprouts to emerge.
We did our research and knew that these plants are fragile and benefit from careful temperature control. A high tunnel (which are those unheated greenhouses you can see from our parking lot) was going to be a key part of our growing strategy.
We thought hard about the best spot for the first high tunnel on the farm, taking into account the wind direction and the position to maximize sunlight. The farm was a blank slate at the time with no barns, structures, water or electricity. With plenty of options, we made an educated guess.
We staked out the ground for the high tunnel and got started with construction on a cold February morning, hammering 22 metal posts several feet down into the partially frozen ground. And then started building the rest of the metal frame.
We hadn’t yet realized that all the hammering would irritate the nerves running down our arms and leave our hands quivering for days – but it didn’t matter. That spring, the high tunnel was covered in greenhouse plastic and the ground was warming, which meant that we were almost ready to transplant.
Unfortunately, the seedlings, which at one point looked strong and sturdy, now looked dreadful. They were so droopy and browned that for a brief time, we weren’t sure if they were going to make it.
But, steadfast in this vision of having a high tunnel so full of ginger and turmeric plants that you’d think we lived in the tropics, we plowed ahead.
And miraculously, within a few weeks of getting transplanted into the high tunnel, the plants perked up.
We kept at it. And within a few months they started to look good. And a few months after that (7 whole months from the day we first planted the seeds), we were ready for harvest.
The utter delight of seeing the fruit of our long labor that first year was like nothing else. And that’s exactly what’s kept us coming back for more, year after year.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg