Ginger plants grow up to 3 ft (1 m) tall and make stunning house plants, as well as providing tasty edible roots that you can use fresh or freeze. It is not hardy so grow it indoors, except in summer.

You will need: Ginger roots, 3½ in (8cm) plastic pots, soil-based potting mix, large pot, liquid fertilizer.

Prepare the pot

Choose a ginger root with some pale knobbly eyes, which will grow into shoots. Fill a pot with potting mix and plant the ginger, just covering the eyes. Water well, and keep in a light spot.

Plant on

When shoots appear, move it out of direct sunlight, and repot the plant as it grows. In summer, stand it outside and feed fortnightly with liquid fertilizer. In autumn, allow it to dry out and the foliage to die back. Harvest the roots but keep a piece to grow again next spring.