Anyone tried growing ginger?

My ornamentals are in a large pot and just come up every year.

 

Mine took literally 6 months to germinate, made some leaves about 2 foot tall, then I put them outside in may and they all died back to the tuber

 

I've found hedychiums and roscoeas do better outside than zingibers. Currently my 3 or 4 hedychiums are a couple of foot tall and the Zingiber chrysanthum has only just got to about 6"; if it doesn't come on a bit better it will be back in a pot in the greenhouse. Note all have been slow this year.
A couple of decades ago I did grow Zingiber officinale indoors for a couple of years, planted it out and that was it gone.

 

I used to grow Alpinia zerumbet variegata, it was a nice plant but not at all hardy and almost appeared to be a winter grower, just seemed to stand still all summer.

 

I kept my officinale in the greenhouse. The tubers were far more fragrant and lemony than bought ones at the time. But not a big enough crop!

 

Heat has done wonders this week