Turmeric has turned out to be a great crop for us here. If you have a warm climate or even just a warm spot over Summer, I’d encourage you to give it a try. I’ve just dug mine up, and was astounded by the amount there was, and by how densely it grows. It is a warm season plant, with attractive ginger type leaves through the Summer which slowly yellow off through Winter here, so that the top is only completely dead by the end of Winter, which is when you can lift and divide it.
Growing turmeric
Your turmeric plants will need dividing! Unlike its relative ginger, which makes a modest crop of rhizomes in a single layer, turmeric makes layer on layer of rhizomes, so that the whole set of rhizomes weighs a kilo or so. That means there is plenty to divide up and re-plant, and plenty to keep for cooking.
The flavour of fresh turmeric is quite different to the dried spice, I would say much nicer, very mild and warm. And of course its special appeal comes from the bright yellow colour it gives to the dish. Used grated in a risotto it gives an appealing colour without the curry spiciness that would make the dried powder unsuitable.
The leaves are also very fragrant, and good for wrapping and steaming food, or even just for fun disposable plates with a tropical feel.
So now I’ve got my rhizomes out of the ground it’s time to wash and break up the rest of them, leave them to cure for a while, and then work out where the next crop will go. As the leaf is so attractive I think I will fill a slope with it. Growing turmeric requires warm, moist soil, full sun, and plenty of water through Summer (although mine just gets rain). You just plant end pieces of rhizome about a centimetre under, and forget about it until you have a lovely fresh green shoot. There’s no hurry though, it doesn’t seem to sprout until the days are consistently in the 30’s. I got mine from a friend, so it was proven for local conditions, but it is worth trying some fresh rhizome from the grocer for planting out, particularly if it has sat too long on the bench and started to sprout. Even just planted in a pot it might give you at least some fragrant leaves for a memorable meal.