I’ve probably grown turmeric for at least 10 years and I never knew it bloomed. Most of what I have this year is in containers but there are some in the raised beds. I’ve moved the containers to the edge of the pergola where they don’t get so much sun. This morning Vince was out back unloading some bags of garden soil. I walked out to talk to him and I stopped at the edge of the pergola and kinda squealed. I know he thought something was wrong (snake) because he had that look on his face – waiting for me to tell him what was wrong so he could grab a shovel or whatever was needed to take care of the problem.
I said “The turmeric is blooming!” I’m sure he had some non-shareable thoughts after my squeal over a flower. The bloom just grows out of the stem – a bit weird but beautiful.
According to the USDA, turmeric is a perennial in zones 8 – 11. I’m not disputing that but for Zone 8a, the winter lows are 10 – 15 degrees. We’re now in zone 7a and, according to the USDA chart, our lows should be in the 0 – 5 degree range. Again, not disputing the USDA but I’ve been here for four winters in two of those winters, we had at least three nights with lows down near -20. That wasn’t the “feels like” temp but the real temp. Therefore, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the USDA planting zones but some do so . . that’s what they say about growing turmeric.
There are three turmeric plants growing in the rhubarb bed and that’s because they were left in a pot and I dumped the soil into the rhubarb bed without realizing they were in there. They’ve survived two winters in that bed and one of those winters was one of the colder ones. I know there are no guarantees but I’m going to try leaving them all in the ground next year and see what happens.
Once the turmeric I have growing in pots dies back, I will harvest it all. Some of it I will freeze dry, then run through the blender to make powder. Some of it I will keep in the basement garage, where it’s dark and cool and in early spring, I will plant all of it in one of the 4 x 4 raised beds. I will keep it mulched heavily and see if I can keep it growing as a perennial. If I lose it, I will buy fresh turmeric at Natural Grocer and plant it.
Dottie Newkirk says
That sure is a pretty flower!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I think, from looking at pictures online, it should open up more lower down the stalk. I was so surprised to see that bloom.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
You can imagine how surprised I was to see it since I had no idea they bloom.
Ginny says
What part of the plant do you harvest? I never seen turmeric grown. I have purchased it grounded in the grocery store. I think the blossom is pretty and looks tropical. I wonder if it would grow as a house plant here in Connecticut.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
The root is what we eat – dried and ground into a powder. From what I was reading, the flower is edible too but I’d rather watch it grow. Maybe i’ll try eating them if I ever have several. It’s worth a try to see if it will grow as a house plant. You could maybe leave it out til it gets cold and the put it in a sunny window or under a grow light. The foliage does need to die off before the tubers are ready to harvest. When I need fresh to plant, I buy it at Natural Grocer. I’ve seen it at other places but it looks a bit shriveled and dry. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
If you had never seen it growing, you might think it was a canna lily due to the shape/size of the leaves.
JustGail says
Pretty flower on the tumeric. Maybe it’s like cats? The accidentally discarded roots survived the cold, but a plant bought and left out on purpose would not? Rather like cats playing with the dropped twist tie and sleeping in empty boxes, while pointedly snubbing fancy toys and comfy kitty beds.
Not all -20 degrees are the same IMHO. Soil type, moisture content, how much mulch, what’s nearby, and how long it’s that cold make a big difference in survival rates. I’d say even the age of the plant can affect it.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Right. That’s why I try to mulch so heavily. I generally base my guess on how well something will survive the winter on how deep the roots go. Most any of the not so cold hardy plants are going to die back but then sprout again from roots. A turmeric plant in a pot sitting out isn’t going to have the same chance of surviving as a plant in the the ground.
I’m glad the turmeric is easy to find and replant if I lose it. Something like the ginger lilies from Louisiana that I have to order (and they aren’t always easy to find), I’ll always dig them up and bring them inside.
I feel like -20 is -20 but all the things you mentioned will determine how well the plant survives. The first winter we were here and had 3 nights of -20, I don’t think it got above zero, day or night, for about 4 days. This past winter when we had several -20 nights, they were spread out over several weeks and I’m sure that does make a difference.
JustGail says
Forgot to say – keep in mind those USDA zones are average low temperatures over a number of years, not absolute lows.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Yes, I know but it seems like there should be a better way. I suppose it’s the best they can offer. We were in 8a in Texas and the lows were 10 – 15 and only once in 10 years did we go lower (down to 3 degrees) so something seems off that we’re in 7a now, where the average low is 0-5 and 50% of the winters we’ve been here, it’s been -20. Plants that say they can survive to 0 and you think zone 7A is safe and two out of four winters, we’ve had temps to -20. Every one of those plants would be dead. And, we were in 6b until the recent update and 6b was a cold winter low. In the end, it is what it is and no matter the classification, winter is going to do what it wants to do.