Turmeric is the 2026 Herb of the Year
Turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), and is native to India and Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, the use of turmeric has been documented to 3,000 BCE.
As trade routes expanded over centuries, turmeric was introduced throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East to China, East and West Africa. From there, it reached Jamaica by the 1700s. Cultivation has since expanded throughout Central and South America.
Its use has been diverse and includes not only culinary use as a spice and as the main ingredient in curry powder, but also as a natural fiber dye. Turmeric is also used for religious purposes.
Occasionally called yellow ginger, turmeric has been used as a component of folk or herbal medicine; however, according to the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared turmeric and its active component curcumin as generally regarded as safe (GRAS) only for use as a colorant in food products and as a culinary spice.
Because of its diversity of uses worldwide, the International Herb Association has designated turmeric as the Herb of the Year for 2026. From a gardener’s perspective, the plant is attractive and easy to grow as a tropical accent in your garden or patio. As a bonus, and with patience, you can harvest your own turmeric.
Classified as an herbaceous perennial (hence its designation as Herb of the Year), turmeric grows from rhizomes (a specialized stem). The plant is sterile and can only be propagated from the rhizome. It grows to 3 to 4 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide with lush, elongated green leaves.
In bloom, tiny white flowers are hidden within showy pink, white or yellow bracts (specialized leaves). Turmeric prefers temperatures of at least 68 degrees and not below 50 degrees.
In Butler County (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a), it can be grown in the garden as an annual in the ground or in containers. Containers must be moved indoors or to a protected area for the winter. It prefers full sun to part shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil.
To plant turmeric, you can purchase rhizomes from a catalog, or you can often find rhizomes in the grocery store. Look in the organic or health food produce section if you don’t find them among the produce. Purchase ones that are not shriveled or soft and have multiple “eyes” or buds.
Cut the rhizomes into 1- to 3-inch pieces, each with two to three eyes. Allow the pieces to dry for 24 to 48 hours to prevent them from rotting in the soil.
Take care to wear gloves and use a cutting board that will not absorb the golden color of the turmeric; turmeric can leave long-lasting stains on your hands and on porous surfaces such as wood.
Containers should be at least 12 inches in diameter and filled with well-draining potting mix nearly to the top. Place a piece of turmeric rhizome horizontally on the soil with eyes on top and cover with about 2 inches of soil.
Keep the container in a warm location; you can add supplementary heat by using a heat mat until shoots appear. Water the container infrequently, keeping the soil moist but not wet so that the rhizome does not rot.
At this point, a little patience is needed. The rhizome is slow to sprout, requiring from three to eight weeks to have shoots appear. If you are using a heat mat, remove it when sprouts are visible. Once sprouts are noticeable, move the container to a sunny spot or place under a grow light and maintain soil moisture.
When daytime temperatures are at least 68 degrees and night temperatures do not go below 50 degrees, your container of growing turmeric can be placed outdoors or planted in the ground for the growing season. If you plant the seedlings in the ground, provide at least 6 feet of space between each plant.
Take care to not scorch the leaves by introducing them to sunlight gradually. Before the temperature drops below 50 degrees in the fall, bring the container inside.
Turmeric leaves will gradually turn yellow, then brown and dry. That is the signal to harvest the rhizomes. Simply dig up the entire plant or remove it from the container, clean the soil from the rhizomes and cut the dried stems from the plant, leaving a clump of rhizomes.
Rhizomes can be used fresh, dried and ground in to a powder, and/or stored for next year’s growing season. Unpeeled, fresh turmeric can be stored in a plastic bag or container in the refrigerator for up to three months or can be kept frozen for up to six months.
If you have questions about turmeric or other gardening practices, telephone the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County at the Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Mary Alice Koeneke is a Penn State Extension Butler County Master Gardener.
