Boy am I glad to find this post!! I bought some Hawaiian store bought ginger and am trying to find some info on how to get it started. I've read several different ways but all to no avail. Is it a slow starter? Right now I have a hunk soaking in water vertically with toothpicks on the side. I also have two other pieces in dirt under gro lites and on a heat mat. I don't have it covered. Should it be? I also read to just place it on top of soil and press down about 1 inch. Should this be covered. I'm sitting here with at least four pounds of ginger and cannot find any info. I also read to put it in a paper bag and place on a heat mat to get it started...then what...do I put it in potting soil covered? If so...do I lay it horizontally and completely cover with soil and then cover with a baggie or something? I do apologize for all the questions but just wanted to give it the ol "college try"..any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Linda

A well establish very large ( huge ) Giant milkweed survived the deep freezes of this season up here in DeLand . It did freeze completely to the ground and looked dead, dead, dead . Temps got well below freezing . It has slowly returned thanks to a wet summer . Small ones in a pot or in the ground newly planted did not survive at all even in warmer places .

Hi Adam, I'll try to help, but I'll admit to having success with overwintering without really thoroughly knowing why, other than dumb luck, lol, at least in the beginning! Barbara is going to dig up her plants because she is moving in a few months and wants to bring them with her. I'm assuming if she weren't moving, the plants would stay in the ground. As far as your broken door, I honestly don't know. As far as I know, the idea of bringing the plants inside, but in an unheated space, is to get them out of the more severe temperatures in which a potted plant might not survive, but still giving a cold environment in which the plant can go dormant, which is necessary to it's cycle. This is why you cover a plant with plastic, or in my case, I cover the window in the garage with black material. I guess it's kind of a fine line between dormancy and just enough heat/light to keep growing. In my case, I think that's also the reason I lost so many roses last year - bringing them out of dormancy too soon. I think outside, the light doesn't matter because it's cold enough for the plants to stay dormant, whereas in the garage, those few degrees may keep the plant thinking it should still be growing. The other option you mentioned, just digging them in somewhere for the winter, is certainly possible if you want to. There are two ways this can be done. One, plant the actual plant. I choose not to do this because 1.) digging a hole in my yard is a major construction activity and 2.) I have to add so many amendments, and at this time of year I just don't have time to deal with this. If you have an already-prepared bed (which is something I never have, lol!) and want to stick a plant in temporarily, that might be a whole lot easier. The second way is to plant the plant with the pot. In other words, dig a hole and place the plant, still in the pot, right into the hole. I never really got the idea of this, since I figured if I'm digging the darn hole, I might as well just plant the darn plant, lol! But last year I did this with a really late-season, last-minute plant I acquired, and it did work. But I only tried this because it was a rose, and I was a bit gun-shy of doing the garage thing with roses after my experience, so I tried the pot-in-the-hole method. It did work, but I don't think I will do this too often, especially not with perennials, but that's my personal preference. Perhaps if I had a plant or rose that, like above, I really didn't want to lose, I would do it again, but it's so much easier to just drag it in the garage. Lastly, as far as your patio plants, yes, you can drag them into the garage and drag them back out. I do it with my 80 or so plants each year. There's no absolute guarantee it will work, especially with the question of the broken door, lol (which hopefully someone else can address) and with the annuals it's an iffy thing, although I've overwintered some annuals my son bought me at a school Mother's Day sale for five years now! Again, at least with the perennials, the key is timing. Bringing them in after they've gone dormant, and bringing them out at the right time in spring. I hope this helped at least a little. Maybe someone with more knowledge will pipe in and add some info. BTW, George, thanks for that added post. The info on the feeder roots was very helpful. :) Dee

Well, since you've already found Wal-mart it looks like you've seen it all -lol! Let's do get together! I live in the historic district downtown so you aren't too far away. Thanks for looking for the label by the way. You don't happen to live in the Tallahassee area do you? My nieghbors are moving to FL when their house here sells and I believe they are looking in that general area for a home. Nancy