Turmeric: How to Grow, Harvest, Use and Store with Morag Gamble

Turmeric is a fabulously easy plant to grow in warmer climates and it has so many beneficial uses. Morag shows how to grow it and harvest it, and discusses ways to use and store it.
UPDATE: thanks to Bernie, a Turmeric farmer (www.selfhelpretreat.com.au) for writing and saying there are three key forms of turmeric:
1. LONGA: deeply orange and contains lots of curcumin - the one to use for medicine
2. AROMATICA: yellow, the one in this film, mostly for culinary purposes
3. NATIVE: Australia has a native turmeric in North Queensland. Polynesia has a black turmeric, and Hawaii folk has white turmeric.
Remember too that your body can only absorb curcumin when you add some pepper and oil too. This is why golden milk is popular, but also why it works in curries.
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[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

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[@joycegoldman7093]

I love this! Can’t wait to try to grow. BTW love that You’re in your bare feet and using your hands!

[@desertportal353]

Best turmeric growing video I've watched so far! Thanks!

[@JA-tf8cq]

Storing turmeric in sand is the best information I found for preserving fresh turmeric. Thank you. 🙏🏼

[@christineb2640]

This is an awesome video. I grew mine in a large pot in NZ over winter, I had a huge crop from it I was so shocked! Thanks for the video ❤

[@Snoryea]

Love how you explain things about the garden. All natural. Most of all I love that you are barefoot in the garden connecting with earth. I too enjoy the feeling of touch the ground. Thank you for the information.

[@samdill36]

i grow turmeric and ginger in my kitchen window here in canada, and get a lovely harvest. the turmeric leaves make a great tea which i blend with ginger and cardamom leaves to make a nice chai with puerh tea from yunnan. don't throw those leaves away , they are loaded with good stuff.

[@ahamoments132]

Thank you! I hadn't heard that before, Sam :)

[@marmaz57]

Sam - thank you for sharing. I live in northern US - and would love to learn how you grow tumeric and ginger indoors. Might you be able to share some tips? Thanks!

[@jessj8973]

Where did you get the original rhizomes? Will organic from the grocery store work?

[@soniag4516]

Too late for me I live in Central California and last week harvested 10 plants for turmeric but threw the leaves on compost pile, wanna kick myself for not taking time to research first. Good to know about the leaves. Thank you.

[@Killi880]

@@jessj8973 yes

[@noeticammvii]

Best turmeric video yet. Thank you. Will visit your website now.

[@kyle5709]

Just discovered your channel. Such a beautiful woman and such wonderfully presented information! Thank you

[@russt4716]

Wow! Morag, thanks for doing this video. You have such a lovely presence about you and your tutorial. I've been juicing, so have been going through a lot of store bought turmeric. Found that if I didn't use it quick enough, it began to sprout! So not knowing what I was doing, I threw into a pot and they all sprouted. Now I know how/when to harvest them and keep the chain going. I really love the idea of the sand. That's awesome. I'll be posting your link in a few communities, so everyone else can grow them too! : )

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Thank you Russ

[@UncleSamSpeaks]

Your videos are amazing! Every question that I have usually gets answered during your videos. Thank you!

[@nancysiow6262]

Thank you for another very useful and practical feature on turmeric, Morag!

[@inmyopinion6836]

Hi cousin , my father's mother was a Gamble . I also have what I now know is a turmeric plant amongst my Tabasco peppers . The flower is beautiful , and you showed me what it is . Thanks . I think I'll follow and see what else you can teach me .

[@ntatemohlomi2884]

Learnt something about storing tumeric, many thanks.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Great!

[@paquefeal2385]

Morag, Thank you so much for the tip. Last June I harvested from one plant and I had a LOT! But I couldn't use it all at once, so left them in a bag and now they sprouted back.

[@MariaGomes-qq9im]

Your video is quite educative for me. Thanks

[@kristinparish2834]

It's neat to know the 3 forms of turmeric!

[@thomascumiskey4198]

Great info thanks! Waiting for the flowers.

[@ummibraheem8818]

Hi lovely yr vid. Working in the garden without glows is like connecting with nature, my folks will not understand it. Thoroughly enjoyed yr gardening.

[@dionabahr6113]

Thank you for sharing all of your lovely tips!! 💛⭐️🔆

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Glad you came for a wander with me

[@MindfulMotion]

I have a turmeric flower for the first time and was so excited. I found your video and learnt so much from it thank you for posting.

[@graciethankful4643]

I like your site. Very informative . You describe very clear. God bless you 🙏❤

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Thanks Gracie

[@dcwar777]

Very informative. I like the idea of putting them in a bucket of sand. Could you cover it and keep it in the pantry.

[@ScottHaneyHello]

Just harvested two plants of mine (beginning of the winter, but will leave some like you mentioned next year). Wonderful amount of turmeric came from two small bits originally planted. Looking forward to having it over the winter.

[@miguelangelpadrosnr4584]

Thank you Kindle, for sharing

[@clearoselindenau5936]

I just found your channel Morag. Thank you so much for your amazing wisdom and sharing it so freely! Blessings your way : )

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Thank you Clea!

[@hollytibbetts2003]

Sand? How have I lived this long and not known that lol :) Brilliant, thank you!

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

That's the brilliant thing of having these conversations - I'm always learning new things everyday about plants from people all over the world. I love it!!!

[@tylerbrown4171]

Such a great tutorial - so well done and easy to follow. I love that you garden with no shoes on - me too!

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

I'm glad it was helpful! Yes, I love feeling the soil under my feet.

[@rogerrabbit7537]

Thank you so much Ms Morag Gamble. I was fascinated about the explanation you gave about how to grow and keep turmeric. I had a pot that even produced a beautiful flower in about September October last year 2018. I live in South Florida United States and I just yesterday unearth the bulbs and for my surprise they looked so different from what your video show. Please take a look at the picture. My question is that if I should re-plant only the bulbs or I should re-plant also those strings that are attached to those type of beans at the end. Thanks 1 million and I’ve been looking forward to hear your comments. I will definitely keep watching your videos they are great and you are an excellent professor. I am trying to find a way to include a picture here but I am I am failing. I’ll keep trying and I will send it to you thank you so much

[@anamie1956]

What a fantastic video with heaps of valuable information. Thank youuuu

[@carrharr]

Thank you for a great video that clearly explains what steps I need to take when harvesting a turmeric plant.

[@mologadiboshielo1042]

thanks for the knowledge,very informative video,thanks thank you thank you a thousand times

[@Eye2C33]

Your a great teacher. Thanks for explaining how to care for turmeric!

[@JamesJones-gj1ii]

Looking forward to growing ginger and turmeric for the first time this year.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Sounds great!

[@mimi10630]

Thank you!! Love the way you explain your job with turmeric...it's wonderful!!

[@donaldthompson7634]

Hi Minerva.

[@cowboyblacksmith]

I just found your channel and I'm smitten.😀 It feels like a masters class watching your videos and what an engaging personality you have. Cheers!

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Welcome aboard!

[@pdias8469]

I got so excited looking at your beautiful turmeric. You can use the leaves to make delicious steam sweet with rice flour, coconut and jaggery. We make these sweets on the 15th of August. I feel you could also sell the leaves.

[@TenleyAtwood]

Really love your channel. Thank you for sharing!

[@Serenity07-10]

Very good video thank you..

[@susanbreeland8620]

Thank you for so much info!!

[@deborahlee8135]

Thanks Morag. I wondered how to keep them juicy in the long term, I presume ginger in sand would work also? Look forward to improving those crops :D

[@donaldthompson7634]

Hi Deborah.

[@urmila7282]

Wow.. it's like digging and finding treasure.. in western ghats Indian cuisine, turmeric leaves are used as molds to cook rice delicacies called kadabu.. it imparts a mild fragrance to it.. btw thanks for introducing bhudda's hand.. had never heard or seen one before..

[@ktwestbrook]

Great info! I just grew my first turmeric and ginger in NW Florida, and found this video for info on harvesting. I planted both together in a plastic kiddy pool with holes in the bottom. It got too hot and sunny for a while this summer for most of my plants, so just got someone to help me drag this "planter" into the shade, then back to the sun when it got cooler.

[@judywilson5183]

I also regrow turmeric and ginger in a pool, but I never get any flowers, southeast Ohio.

[@ahamoments132]

Thank you very much for the tips about roots developing after flowers appear, and also about storing in sand. I had heard that, but was unsure about whether the sand was slightly moist or simply dry. :)

[@cjam3660]

lol, dry dumb dumb.

[@russellgibbon8621]

I´m subscribed - you´re great Morag - I´m looking forward to digging mine up and hiding them in sand, in a year from now. Thank you.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Thank you Russell

[@russellgibbon8621]

@@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife Morag, you´ve got me fascinated on the use of a bucket of sand! I certainly will use your method when I have some harvested turmeric rhizomes. Have you used this method to store anything other than turmeric, veggies for example?

[@russellgibbon8621]

Our garden has some butternut squash and Japanese pumpkins coming along. I want to find ways to store them over winter. We have very little space do do so where we live. I´m thinking of burying some in a large plastic tote filled with sand. The pumpkins might not make it as my wife and I are likely to devour them very fast after harvest.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Other root crops

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Store your pumpkins on a shelf

[@rachelaalbers]

Thanks Morag :) These are some wonderful growing and harvesting tips, I didn't know about using sand to keep roots or rhizomes fresh and plump. Do you grow Ginger? If so could you please do a video on that? Ginger and Turmeric are two plants Ive been wanting to know more about especially on how to regrow them, thanks so much!

[@geeez75]

rachel tipping v

[@cuscof2]

Tumeric is a variety of ginger, what works for one should be applicable to the other.

[@theislandgardeners6615]

We grow turmeric and ginger very well here in Florida zone 9b food forest also 👍🏽

[@quailsnest8354]

I just ordered a 1/2 lb.of BLACK TURMERIC and learning how to grow it.. Thank you for helpful insight..hagd

[@vinnettepope8255]

Thank you 😊 for sharing ❤ this wonderful root storage tutorial video.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Glad you liked it!

[@chansam8966]

Thank you, well explained, well presented ,

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

You are welcome!

[@33LEAD]

Very informative, thank you Morag

[@greenhillsparadise]

Love this video!!! Can't wait to be able to harvest my Tumeric.

[@Mansahx]

Thanks for the info. Good vid...planting some timer if indoors. Why not 👍🏾

[@Sangib1]

Love your video!

[@chantaltulliez8066]

Morag I heard that Hawaiian red turmeric is by far the best tasting turmeric and is normally higher in cucucumin content compared to the bitter tasting yellow Aryuvedic turmeric found in most health food stores. I never new of a red turmeric!!! but just found some this week from a friend of mine who's got plenty and I am waiting for her to harvest it to get some for my garden...it takes longer to dry than the yellow turmeric...if you're interested I could get you some...

[@romaldothomas8653]

Thank you great video I learned a lot.

[@elizabethcrowley9189]

Lovely woman and great information! Thanks

[@samantha5199]

Thanks for the tips God Bless❤️🙏🏾

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

You are so welcome

[@judydennis1242]

Can you grow turmeric in a large container, like a barrel or only in the ground?

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Yes. It is possible to grow in large pots and grow bags

[@ariainman5383]

Can you bury the turmeric in COLD weather? Or wait until Spring. We are in New York and weather is COLD times of Winter. I read that Sam grows turmeric and ginger indoors..YES? I found you TODAY...and already learned so much. Thanks Morag

[@ruby4308]

Thank you very good information

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

You're welcome. Thanks for dropping by and commenting.

[@bjcdownunder]

Thank you, love your work and follow much of your advice. I'm definitely trying this storage method, but I wondered if I could use beach sand as I live right on the coast?

[@carolwakley9850]

Did u get an answer re using beach sand?

[@bjcdownunder]

@@carolwakley9850 no I didn't, but I tried it anyway. I washed the sand thoroughly then completely dried it, but I ended up with sprouted ginger that eventually went bad. I'm going to freeze my next crop. 🙃

[@gstudio33]

Love your voice!

[@gaianeg7927]

What a good video! How come your turmeric is not yellow. Can you tell me please what kind of turmeric is that. Thank you in advance.

[@pn3940]

it comes with beautiful flowers too :)

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Yes it does!

[@chantalvanstaden5322]

Wonderful vid

[@sanjirodarylsan9096]

Thank you for the most lucid and practical presentation for the home gardeners on turmeric that I have seen. 👍👍 Going to plant some under my avocado trees.

[@devdasmathangi3885]

Wonderful n an interesting presentation. For how long a duration can it remain fresh in sand, i wonder. Thanks a lot.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Many months.

[@zamoredzohra6574]

Thanks

[@rolandporter7710]

I love your channel

[@trumplostlol3007]

You can store them in moist peat moss too. I store my sunchokes and potatoes using peat moss.

[@marinafernandes9927]

The leaves can be used for preparing a sweet dish

[@debbie2663]

Looks like ginger. How do you know the difference? Thank you for all your wonderful videos!

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Hi Debbie, Turmeric leaves are generally bigger - wider and more ribbed. The come off the stem in quite an upright way. Ginger leaves are narrower and smoother, and they come off the stem more horizontally. If you google for images of these leaves you will find examples. I hope this helps. Morag

[@tattvamasi5190]

You provide such inspiring and lovely information! I never knew about storing turmeric and ginger in sand, this is so smart! I figured there must be some way to do it, and I'm going to put this in practice right away. Lovely!

[@Tamunett]

Thnks for this info!

[@abangalow4425]

Awesome , great educational video. Thank you!!!

[@stmnMcdn]

Thanks! I'll let you know how mine turns out. I'm a beginner though.

[@markusgorelli5278]

This is great. I used to freeze my extra turmeric for the year but the taste just isn't quite the same. Will definitely try the sand technique with next harvest!

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Great - it works a treat!

[@carolwakley9850]

Where to get the sand from? Beach maybe too salty?🤷‍♀️

[@gardengatesopen]

@@carolwakley9850 yes, you're right, the beach sand will be very salty. Buy "play sand" at your local hardware store.

[@debbolz6847]

Loved this info, Thank you so much! 🌱

[@lesliehack794]

Very helpful indeed. Thankyou. I love developing more gardening and food storage knowledge. The Buddha hands look really cool.

[@valeriecropper2749]

Fabulous video, thank you.

[@remnantfewministriesminist495]

Amazing. I use turmeric everyday. I have to grow this root. Love the info for storing. Do you buy your root organically from a store?

[@jenniemaldonado1380]

would use still recommend leaving Tumeric roots during the winter when winters are in negative degrees.

[@emilykrarup]

Hi Morag, you videos are always so interesting and informative. I like the simplicity of the storage. Would it also work for ginger and galangal?

[@chiomascharm4596]

This was very helpful! Thanks for sharing 💜

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

you are very welcome. happy gardening

[@purplethumb7887]

Very informative video. Thank you! I bought a bag from Costco, only to come home and find out the sellers had cut off all the eyes. 🤬

[@RobertLaTuso]

What is the best way to store fresh turmeric root for planting next year? Can I plant in a pot indoors and move outdoors next season? (I live in zone 7a)

[@2aussietravellers]

This is fabulous thank you Morag. I have been given 6 white turmeric tubers that have just been harvested up in Bundaberg Qld (mid April) would you plant them into the garden now or follow the storing process here and pop them into some sand and replant under some trees in spring?

[@crystalgaye63]

Hi, Thank you for this great video, especially about how to store the fresh turmeric in Sand. Where is the optimal place to store the sand/Turmeric? In the Pantry/Garage?

[@sheetaljayara]

Hi, how to stop tumeric to rot in the pot? I tried to find info on this topic with no results, hoping you have some tips.

[@johanssonstudio]

Wow! I’ve just discovered your channel and I’m hooked. I’ve only now started harvesting my first crop of calendula, which is also my first plant grown to use in my soap making. Your videos are informative and delightful. I was wondering if there was a good place for finding ways to use turmeric in my diet?

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Welcome! Turmeric - I add it to soups, stirfries, curries, grate it into salad, add to salad dressings, add to juices ...

[@leepy120]

Hi morag can we grow this in the UK, middle England I live , what's your climate over there? X another great vid 🖒

[@marchomeautorepairs]

Keep up the good work

[@gw5033]

I grew tumeric for the first time and holy you know what. How long will it store in sand? Appreciate the information and hope you can respond, I live in the tropics so freezing not a problem. Thanks.

[@cjam3660]

well I have not tried sand storing tumeric, been looking on line for nearly a year how to store tumeric and ginger ...yep! freezing and refrigerating don't work or just laying it out on the counter...I can't wate to try sand...that would defentally be the answer for me being a van dweller...ill repost in a few months to give an update on how the sand storage idea worked out...tks

[@tyrloki5999]

Fabulous. Thank you mam.

[@adventurecraig]

Thanks for the great advice about storage, Morag. Could I grow turmeric in a protected section of my garden here in Joburg, South Africa? Winters dip to around zero Celsius. But midday is around 23. Summers from 9 to 32.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

Plant it when the temperature of the soil warms up, and make sure you keep the moisture up to it. It tends to like hot/humid climates. I also get frosts in winter. This is when the tops completely die back and harvest begins. In tropical climates it can grow as a perennial.

[@samanya_jeevi]

For we Pagan Hindu's, Turmeric is one of the form of God. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@lydiaveldhuizen3157]

What a wunderfull advice. I buyed mines last year at the supermarket, but didn,t know How to clean or eat them, because I always used the powder. So looking at those roots in a Little Box for mounths. In fact Not knowing what to do with It. They didn,t Chang much in early Januari they started to sprout. Put them in pots and they feel Good with It, having Leafs . My question is How to process them. Making clean. Do you Peel them. Are you eating them as vegteble or do you Grind them.

[@MoragGambleOurPermacultureLife]

I usually grate it fresh into my dishes. Can also make a paste, or dry and grind too

[@charlesjacques750]

What about eating the leaves?

[@janetchisolm-richard6225]

Thank you for sharing. Just kind out about brownie turmric.