Gingers are usually planted in the early spring and harvested after 8-10 months. Root gingers are a fibrous-rooted perennial plant which become dormant in Hawaii. It is cool enough during December and January to induce both rhizome dormancy and death of foliage. Edible ginger does flower. The flowers are similar to the shampoo ginger.
Harvesting is done generally after the leaves turn yellow and dry and the stems fall over.
At this stage, the ginger rhizomes will have a fairly tough skin and will not bruise and will keep longer. For home use, the crop can be harvested after the flowering stage and before the skin hardens. At this stage, the young ginger could be used for pickling. It is grown from rhizome pieces similar to the edible ginger root. The flower bracts are harvested for food.