Galangal · Anyang, Henan, China
When to plant galangal in Anyang
Main outdoor window
5 Apr - 3 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
22 March
In Anyang, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Oct - 31 Dec
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Anyang
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant rhizomes
5 Apr - 3 May
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Oct - 31 Dec
Galangal through the year
Against the frost risk in Anyang
Why these dates
Plant rhizomes at the start of the warm season into rich damp soil in part shade. Harvest by cutting pieces from the edge of the clump from the second year, leaving the centre to grow on.
Damaged at about 2C, before any frost arrives. Below zone 9 it must be grown in a container that overwinters indoors.
Galangal are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Anyang has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Anyang sits in zone 8a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Anyang
Other vegetables to time
Growing galangal in Anyang
When should I plant galangal in Anyang?
Aim for 5 Apr - 3 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 18 Apr - 16 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will galangal be ready to harvest in Anyang?
Expect to start picking around 1 Oct - 31 Dec, based on 300 to 400 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will galangal tolerate?
Damaged at about 2C, before any frost arrives. Below zone 9 it must be grown in a container that overwinters indoors.