The turmeric plants have very attractive large leaves which will give your garden a lush tropical look. You can use fresh turmeric or powdered turmeric in vegetable curries and also in many natural beauty recipes.

Guide and Tips For Growing Turmeric

Although it is a tropical plant that thrives on heat and moisture, it can be grown in temperate areas in summer. I am growing turmeric in Sydney, Australia in pots, the plants look great with its stripy long leaves year round, except in winter when the leaves become yellow.

Turmeric Plant Description

The eating part of the plant is roots or rhizomes. In India, the Haldi roots are cooked and eaten as vegetable curry with roti or bread. In Indonesia, the young shoots and rhizomes are eaten raw.

Garden Beds or Containers?

I planted 4 rhizomes in a pot of size 75 cm long, 30 cm wide and 30 cm deep 2 years ago. The plants produced more than 5 kg of fresh turmeric in 2 years, and the plants are still going on for the new crop.

The advantages of growing in pots is that the plant can be moved in sun; and also indoors if there is snow or frost.

Another advantage of growing in pots is that you can grow turmeric if you live in an apartment and you don't have a garden bed. In India and elsewhere, grow your own organic turmeric in balconies, verandas, terraces, backyards, front yards, and similar places.

Turmeric Growing Zones

When To Plant Turmeric?

Where To Plant Turmeric?

Soil

Planting Turmeric

  1. Buy some turmeric roots from vegetable shops to grow your own plants. Or you can plant rhizomes from your previous year's produce.
  2. Select small rhizomes with one or two buds. You can call them seeds.
  3. You can plant rhizomes 20-25 cm apart, just bury them in wet soil 6-7 cm deep, or plant them on ridges. Do not water until the shoots appear. The roots will germinate/shoot in 3-6 weeks depending on the soil temperature.
  4. Turmeric shoots will appear in about 20-45 days from planting.
  5. You need to grow fresh plants every year. Or leave a few roots inside while harvesting, it will re-shoot in spring.
  6. Once the plants grow, keep them well watered.
  7. Bring your turmeric indoors if the air temperatures goes below below 10 deg C or 50 deg F.
  8. Note: You can start turmeric in pots indoors and move the pots outdoors when the temperature start to rise.

Watering Turmeric

  1. The turmeric plants require consistently and adequately watering. Overwatering will slow down growth.
  2. If you are growing your turmeric in a container or in garden bed, water only when you feel the soil slightly dry to the touch. This will prevent leaching out of nutrients due to overwatering.
  3. If your turmeric is grown in a sandy soil or your plant is growing in dry low humidity area, water often or mist the leaves.

Fertilizer for Turmeric

  1. Fertilize 4-5 times using a general purpose vegetable and fruits fertilizer during the growing period.
  2. Fertilize around the base of the shoots but away from the stems.
  3. I fertilize my turmeric plants with a general purpose liquid fertilizer during the growing season every third week.
  4. If growing turmeric in a container, feeding with fertilizer will provide adequate nutrients to the plants.
  5. If the turmeric leaves becoming yellow or burn at the edges, it means that you are over-watering and/or signs of insufficient nutrients.

Harvesting Turmeric

Harvesting is easy, just dig up the entire plant including the roots.

Sometimes I do not harvest the whole clump as it is difficult to consume so much. I just dig carefully at the side of a clump and remove rhizomes as needed.

I have harvested approximately 800 grams of fresh roots per plant.

White Turmeric

Pests and Diseases

  1. Tiny spider mites may pose a problem. The spider mites in large numbers may kill the plant. Forceful water spray of the turmeric plant can wash away spider mites. I spray the foliage with neem oil spray once a month.
  2. Turmeric plants are prone to fungal diseases such as leaf spot and leaf blotch that cause brown spots on the leaves and may cause leaves to dry and wilt. Spraying an organic fungicides can help.
  3. The root and rhizome rot can dry the leaves and rhizomes are decayed.

How to Store Fresh Turmeric

  1. Wipe fresh turmeric roots and wrap in a paper towel and place in a zip lock plastic bag. Place in refrigerator. This way it will remain fresh for 3-4 weeks. To use, cut the needed piece, and refrigerate again. For longer storage, slice, wrap and then freeze for up to 2 months.
  2. Blend turmeric rhizomes with some water and freeze in ice cube containers.
  3. Peel the rhizomes and place them in a jar with vodka and store in the fridge for at least a year.
  4. Peel turmeric root and place in honey for at least a year.
  5. Freezing turmeric retains the texture, color and flavor. However, frozen turmeric is often dried out if not properly packed.

How To Make Turmeric Powder

  1. Cut the turmeric roots into small pieces and spread them on a plate and cover it with a mesh. Place in sun dry until the turmeric is completely dry.
  2. Grind the pieces to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder.
  3. Store the powder in airtight glass bottle in a cool place.

References

  1. Ikisan, Disease Management in Turmeric