Curcuma

• Partial Shade to Partial Sun (3 - 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)
• Mature Height 2 - 7 Feet
• Mature Spread 3 - 4 Feet
• Growing Zones 8 - 11

Turmeric is part of the ginger plant family and is ideal to grow in the kitchen garden for its edible properties and interesting ornamental presence. The fleshy, ginger-like flowers are flashy and are magnets for beneficial pollinators, especially hummingbirds. The yellow rhizomes are edible and can be used as a natural permanent dye. 

Curcuma longa appreciates hot and humid days similar to its native climate in southern and southeast Asia. In the United States, it is hardy in USDA zones 8b-11. All other areas can grow this tuber as an annual or overwinter it as a houseplant. Turmeric can be harvested in the fall as the plants go dormant through the winter months. 

Curcurma Care  

Curcurma prefers a partly shaded location with moist but free-draining soil. Plant turmeric starts when temperatures are well above 50 degrees F (10 C) in late spring or early summer. Growing Curcuma longa in containers is ideal in climates where it is not hardy. Choose a container with plenty of bottom drainage holes, and use a peat-free potting mix with perlite added for drainage and moisture retention. 

When the top growth dies back at the end of the growing season, the tubers can be harvested for food or medicinal purposes. Tubers can also be dried and placed in a frost-free and dry location until ready to plant out the following spring. 

Turmeric is a hungry plant that will require regular fertilizing when new shoots emerge in the spring. A balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer is recommended. 

Growing Curcurma  

Turmeric typically reaches 3-4 feet tall and wide and can be grown with other shade-loving perennials such as hostas, ferns, and caladiums. These tropical plants will need at least 9 months of frost-free temperatures to produce harvestable roots. If you would like to plant turmeric outdoors, start new plants inside in the winter so that the rhizomes are ready for harvest before the first average frost date for your growing zone. Garden-grown turmeric will need to be watered less during dormancy in the winter months. Resume regular watering after the new shoots emerge in the spring. All the spent top growth should be cleared away in the spring to make way for the new season's growth and to remove any pests that may have overwintered. 

Turmeric planted as a houseplant will require at least a 6-inch diameter pot per rhizome. Use a multi-purpose potting mix, and fertilize the plants with diluted liquid foliage houseplant food. Liquid seaweed or fish emulsion formulas are ideal and readily available. Plants need bright indirect sunlight and thrive indoors in a west or east-facing window or a few feet away from a south-facing window. Size up the pot every few years to give the rhizomes plenty of space to multiply. 

Watering Curcurma 

Turmeric appreciates regular water. Only allow the top 1-2 inches of potting soil or garden soil to dry between watering sessions. Indoor-grown plants should be misted often to increase humidity levels around the foliage. Turmeric that is subjected to drying out repeatedly will yield much smaller harvests. 

Feeding Curcurma

Fertilize with a diluted liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks to encourage good root growth. An all-purpose fruit and vegetable fertilizer works well, or try liquid comfrey or compost tea mixes.

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