Turmeric: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you plant turmeric?
Choose a healthy culinary turmeric rhizome with growth buds. If dividing it, retain at least one bud per piece and let the cuts dry for a few days before planting.
In spring, place the pieces in a wide enough container with drainage and a rich, light growing medium. Face the buds upwards and cover with about 2–3 cm of medium. Keep the pot warm, with bright, filtered light. Water sparingly at first, then maintain light moisture during growth without standing water.
Moving outdoors requires acclimatisation and consistently warm weather, with no risk of frost. In a cool climate, favour a pot so you can bring the plant under cover. Frost-free weather does not necessarily provide enough warmth for good growth. Harvest depends on rhizome development, with no guaranteed autumn crop.
When do you harvest turmeric?
Harvest turmeric once the rhizomes have developed sufficiently and the plant enters dormancy. Timing depends on when it was planted and on growing conditions: the end of summer does not guarantee a mature crop. Gradually yellowing and drying foliage can indicate dormancy, but premature yellowing may also signal a growing problem.
Carefully lift the root ball to uncover the rhizomes without damaging them. Remove the soil, clean those intended for cooking and let their surface dry before storing them. Discard damaged or rotten parts and use fresh rhizomes promptly.
For longer storage, you can freeze washed and peeled rhizomes. Making powder requires thorough drying with a suitable method: a few days in the open air do not guarantee safe storage.
Turmeric
- Type : Aromatic plants
- Subtype : Tuber vegetables
- Botanical Family : Zingiberaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Perennial
- Exposure : Partial Shade
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
- Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
- Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse crops : Not suited to the available shelters
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 1 cm
- Plant Spacing : 15 cm
- Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing