BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Few crops illustrate U.S. dependence on foreign food markets as strongly as ginger, an aromatic spice used in stir-fries, candies, curries, teas, sodas and more. Only around 664 tons of ginger were produced domestically in 2024, which is just 0.7 percent of the 99,000 tons of ginger rhizome (the knobby “root” or underground stem that produces lateral shoots) purchased by U.S. consumers.

According to Nick Frillman, University of Illinois Extension local food systems and small farms system educator, fresh ginger rhizome has the potential to become an economic cash crop for specialty growers in Illinois and the Midwest. However, there are hurdles yet to be overcome, such as the cost disadvantage to producers for the rhizomes necessary to produce ginger, which, in the Midwest, would be grown in protected culture conditions such as greenhouses or high tunnels.

“In Maine, Elliot Coleman was growing ginger in a high tunnel in the late 2000s or right around 2010, and the thought was if someone could grow it in a high tunnel in Maine, why not Illinois? We learned that it hadn’t been done in Illinois at least into the 2010s with Extension or in a controlled environment,” said Frillman, who launched his collaborative ginger study in 2024 after receiving an Illinois Specialty Crop Block grant supporting ginger research through 2026. His research project serves to answer issues left unresolved by a 2022-2023 ginger project in collaboration with Western Illinois University.

“With this study we are establishing best practices for fresh baby ginger production in Illinois by increasing our understanding of the growing protocol,” Frillman said. “The economic impetus from ginger production is the reason we and many other educators and farmers are taking a look at it. The retail value for baby or fresh ginger can be as high as $25 or $30 per pound at a farmers market or through direct-to-consumer sales, or in the $15 range at wholesale to restaurants or cooperative grocery stores. The economic potential is definitely there.”

Frillman said ginger rhizomes take 8-10 months to reach full maturity – much longer than the Illinois outdoor growing season. However, production of “fresh” or “baby” ginger, which is harvested at around five months, is well suited to temperate climates such as in the Midwest.

Baby ginger differs from mature grocery store ginger in that it is more colorful, more aromatic, not fibrous, has a shorter shelf life and requires no peeling. These traits, according to Frillman, make the fresh herb highly desirable for sushi ginger, candied ginger, and other high-end culinary uses. Though baby ginger yields are lower than mature ginger, the price premium is substantial.

Scaled-up study entering second year

Frillman’s two-year ginger study began in 2025 with seven specialty crop farmers and five Illinois Extension educators from across the state. The project is evaluating five ginger varieties (procured from three vendors) under four types of growing environments identified as potentially viable for Illinois conditions. The growers set out to determine whether certain varieties or environments deliver significantly better yields, improving the likelihood of economic success.

“Early 2025 results suggested small performance differences among varieties, but one growing environment dramatically outperformed the others. Results will be formally disclosed after data from the 2026 season is collected to ensure reliability,” Frillman said.

However, Frillman noted that several factors influencing optimal baby ginger production under Illinois conditions are becoming clearer based on recent research. “Regular watering – every 1-2 days, especially in hot weather until about a week or two from harvest – regular fertility applications, and monthly hilling of soil around the base of plants as is done for field potatoes,” appear to be among best practices for high-quality baby ginger yields in early trials, he said.  

This year’s study will double down on production with an expansion of participants. The ginger study’s 2026 growing season kicks off in late March when 14 specialty crop farmers and six Extension field staff will begin the extended germination process (pre-sprout) for ginger.

“In 2025 we certainly learned a couple of things that are pretty crucial, though we still don’t know enough to unequivocally say, ‘here is how you do it,” said Frillman, who eventually intends to publish an Illinois Ginger Growers Guide to assist specialty crop growers interested in “putting down roots” in ginger. The guide will advise growers on everything from seed sourcing to transplanting, fertility and water management, integrated pest management, harvest, post-harvest handling, and more.

“I’m hoping that by February or March of (2027) we’re putting the finishing touches on the grower’s guide,” he said.

Rhizome costs, scarcity provide barrier

As Frillman and his expanded team of ginger growers inch closer to development of proven best practices for cultivation, one issue in front of potential ginger entrepreneurs remains the cost and availability of the ginger rhizomes necessary to produce baby ginger. “The retail value is really good once you have a crop to sell, but sourcing ginger can be difficult. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there is really only one (source) where we have been able to find a (legitimate) ginger rhizome vendor,” Frillman said. “The only source for known cultivar varieties of ginger rhizome seed for sale is in Hawaii, and it’s pretty expensive.”

In addition, ginger rhizome cannot be shipped to Illinois in climates of above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Frillman’s research. This limits when those who want to grow the herb-spice can purchase and receive ginger roots.

“I always tell people the hardest part about growing ginger is everything from sourcing until it is in the ground,” he said. “There is a complicated, slow-motion germination process as well, but once it’s in the ground it is a comparatively easy crop to manage compared to a high tunnel tomato or cucumber where there is trellising and pruning and multiple harvests. It’s just a little bit of a prima donna crop to get it in the ground.”

Those with questions about the ginger research project can reach out to Frillman at frillma2@illinois.edu.