When to plant galangal in Mohammedia

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 Mohammedia has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Mohammedia is zone 11a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

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.

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