I don't think that is ginger. I am not sure what it is but it doesn't look like ginger.

It looked like ginger roots when I planted it. My neighbor said it was ginger and she is Chinese. She should know. As soon as I pull the plants I will let you know for sure.

A friend of mine grows ginger in pots (from sprouted supermarket ginger) and I too doubt that is ginger. The foliage does not resemble what I saw, and a quick search of online images is likewise discouraging. I'd be really curious to see if it develops tubers of some kind.

They had tubers when I planted them. I am going to dig one up.

I dug up the plant on the left and here is what I found. Looks like ginger. I may put it back in the ground.

It could be Jerusalem Artichoke. If it is, don't eat the tubers till the tops die back, and don't eat them raw. They cause gas worse than the worst beans. Jerusalem Artichokes are also hard to eradicate and will keep growing back if the slightest bit of root is left behind.

Michael, I highly doubt if that's a ginger. As others said, your plant does not look like ginger at all. Simply get a store-bought ginger, wash it real well and put it in ground (partial to full shade with good nutrient soil). Have patience and you won't be disappointed. :).

They are starting to look like Jerusalem artichoke plants. Something I never heard of. They should be starting to make yellow flowers if they are. I am not disappointed since I had no intention of growing ginger, only did it for fun. Thanks for the warning. The experiment continues lol.

A mature Jerusalem Artichoke tuber can look a little bit like a ginger rhizome. JA grows aggressively, like a weed, so maybe a good plant to use for erosion control, or to take over a weedy area full of non edible weeds, and replace it with JA, which you could eat in an emergency?

Just buy ginger from store, let it sit on your counter and it will automatically sprout, then put in the ground to grow. good luck

That doesn't look like ginger, at least the common variety found in the market. Freshly harvested ginger has a lot of pinkish hue where the root meets the stalks. See picture. Also, I have ginger growing in my pots. It took 2 months to sprout so I doubt the plant grows 4 ft in 6 months. As tralala mentioned, just buy the ginger from the store and let it sprout and plant it.

This is a Chinese Artichoke. They're supposed to be tasty but the tubers never get very big so they're a pain to prepare.

I've grown some but never had enough to bother cooking them - I've just planted them hoping for a larger yield which has never yet materialised!

The ginger I've grown has leaves a bit like bamboo.

Cheers.

It's Jerusalem Artichoke lol. I have grown Chinese Artichoke, ginger and I currently grow Jerusalem Artichoke so I have seen all three plants. You maybe experimenting but just a fair warning that it may come back with vengeance this year.

Sorry, I beg to differ. I've grown them both and I'm willing to put money on this being a Chinese Artichoke. Jerusalem tubers are much bigger and kind of golden brownish rather than that dazzling white colour. And I seem to remember the Chinese has roots that have bulges at intervals, whereas Jerusalem tubers grow directly from the underground part of the stem.

Here's a picture of Jerusalem Fartichokes:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jerusalem+artichoke&rlz=1CDGOYI_enGB590GB591&hl=en-GB&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtxaun9pDSAhVDQJoKHZbQAQUQ_AUICCgB&biw=320&bih=492&dpr=2#hl=en-GB&tbm=isch&q=jerusalem+artichoke+plant&imgrc=FYtTRFAk2-7MBM:M

XA.

...sorry, that should have been:

https://res.cloudinary.com/growinginteractive/image/upload/q_80/v1446068460/growblog/jerusalem-artichoke-dug-up-2x.jpg

and here's a picture of Chinese Artichoke:

http://www.australiangardener.com.au/ccdata/images/imageMain_4_130.jpg

The OP is showing a picture of immature Jerusalem Artichokes.

All tubers start small and because he pulled the stem up early they are not fully developed. Jerusalem Artichokes needs to go through a cold spell before they really start to develop the tubers and harvest is usually done after the plant dies off.

At this immature age they are pretty white and yes small. There are different types of jerusalem artichokes as well. I have seen red ones , brown and then this, white. The chokes grow along the roots . Below is a picture of my harvest this year. I pulled mine up just a few short weeks ago. The OP's post is in August.

Chinese Artichokes do not grow this sort of leaves that the OP is showing and the chokes are indented. They grow multiple short knobs down it's length not long and then knobed like the OP's picture. Plus the tubers are small. The mature tuber would be about the size the OP is showing so they should have multiple indention by now.

Here is a Chinese Artichoke plant

http://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/trees/m/Chinese-Artichoke-3800.jpeg

https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Chinese-Artichoke-Stachys-affinis.htm

OR

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis#/media/File:Stachys_sieboldii1.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis#/media/File:Crosnes.jpg

I wish I had pictures available from when I grew my own but it has been a long while and I didn't find it worth the time and effort when I did.

Oh and if it makes a difference I'm half Chinese (or Taiwanese ) , the OP seemed to think it makes a difference LOL. Because the Chinese lady who gave him "ginger" should know because she's Chinese. My credibility is better than yours if you are not LOL.

Now if you STILL insist it's a Chinese Artichoke then by all means you are entitled to your opinion but based on what I see and my experience with growing both plants I'm not sure how you are coming to that conclusion.

Hey,

Yes, you're right - the leaves definitely give it away.

The immature tubers shown look like my crop of Chinese ones after a whole season's growth - not sure what I'm doing wrong. The first time I tried them they were much better and they were only in a small pot.

XA.

I'm shocked everyone was so lenient with their telling you your photos were not ginger which is very clear. I'm also shocked that no one ever said, just smell one of the rhizomes if you need to confirm. Also, if it was from a neighbor, why not check in with them again? If you want bigger rhizomes, you need to prevent them from going to seed. Otherwise the energy goes into making seed. But they can also be very invasive. I suggest buying the from an Asian grocery to eat and using your garden space for something else.

I see that this is an older thread. It is Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke. Very invasive in my zone. The reason your Chinese neighbor said it is ginger is because the Chinese name for Jerusalem artichoke is literally translated as "foreign ginger". So she is right, sort of... even though is is not in the ginger family nor does it taste remotely like ginger. Unless you have a lot of room for this, I would suggest you yank it out. Too invasive.