Galangal · Kolomna, Moscow Oblast, Russia
When to plant galangal in Kolomna
Main outdoor window
16 Jul - 13 Aug
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
3 May
In Kolomna, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Oct - 31 Dec
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Kolomna
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant rhizomes
16 Jul - 13 Aug
Held back until the soil is warm enough for this crop. The frost date on its own would say 17 May, which is too cold for it to start. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Oct - 31 Dec
Galangal through the year
Against the frost risk in Kolomna
Why these dates
Plant rhizomes at the start of the warm season into rich damp soil in part shade. Harvest by cutting pieces from the edge of the clump from the second year, leaving the centre to grow on.
Damaged at about 2C, before any frost arrives. Below zone 9 it must be grown in a container that overwinters indoors.
Galangal are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Kolomna has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Kolomna sits in zone 4b, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Nearby
Galangal in places close by
Also in Kolomna
Other vegetables to time
Growing galangal in Kolomna
When should I plant galangal in Kolomna?
Aim for 16 Jul - 13 Aug in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 15 Jul - 12 Aug - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
Can I plant galangal earlier in Kolomna?
Frost is finished by about 17 May, but the soil is still too cold. Galangal will not start until it reaches 20°C (68°F), and here that is around 16 Jul. Going in earlier usually means seed that rots or transplants that sit and sulk, and a later sowing catches them up.
When will galangal be ready to harvest in Kolomna?
Expect to start picking around 1 Oct - 31 Dec, based on 300 to 400 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will galangal tolerate?
Damaged at about 2C, before any frost arrives. Below zone 9 it must be grown in a container that overwinters indoors.