The Homegrown Hops Thread

cascade is one of the hardiest hops to grow in almost any part of the us

 

i personally havent grown it but i have more than a couple friends that have been growing them for years now and its insane what they put up with. extra plus, cascade is such an awesome hop, perfect for everything.

 

I've got 3 three-year-old hop plants. I'm growing Nugget in Texas on my apartment balcony in a huge container. Last summer, the heat/drought kept it from producing, but this summer there are about 30 cones starting to grow and more on the way. Hoping to end up with enough to make a decent wet-hop beer.

At my parent's home in West Virginia, I have Centennial and Perle growing. The centennial is kicking ass and should yield a nice harvest (its first in 3 years), while the Perle is growing a little better each year but might not yield much more than a handful of cones this summer.

 

don't believe it, probably the easiest. plant what you like. tastes vary.

 

Cascade. Its definitely the hardiest... i.e. the strongest growing, easiest to grow. Our Cascades are easily the best growing hops out of what we have (Cascade, Magnum, Centennial, Fuggle, and Chinook.)

 

Ever try chinook around New Orleans?

 

"Hardiest", not "hardest". Can't go wrong with cascade.

 

Another vote for Cascades as very hardy. Here is a picture of some of the this year's cones on my Cascade plants. These plants are at least 10 years old.

 

Like I said before, Cascade you should get significant consideration and it seems like most of the hop growers agree so far. Good luck and I hope you make some hoppy badassness when you get your bines going.

 

Really stupid question: If I were to grow a few cascade vines (sound like the easiest to try), would I get any sort of "floral" benefit from having them on or around my back deck?

I don't homebrew (yet), but the thought of hanging out on the deck and occasionally getting a hop scented breeze sounds pretty awesome.

 

Cascades or just about any NA variety will grow well in your area...Winsor is not far from the earliest hop growing area on the West Coast (Russian River).

 

My CTZ (Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus) is an absolute beast. I got 2+lbs dried off it last year and stopped picking with HALF the cones on the bine. My Cascade also does very well.

My caveat is to not overplant. I am in the 4th year and these bastards are taking over everything. Like hundreds of shoots all over the place taking over.

 

No aroma unless you crush the mature hop cones in your hands. But that in itself is a worthy source of aromatherapy!

 

Planted Hallertau here in Michigan just 3 years ago in some very soft soil that gets plenty of sun. Nothing the 1st year. Saw improved growth last year and manged to get almost 1/2 a paper grocery bag full. This year the hop vines have already surpassed last years growth and I noticed the vines are much thicker and the leaves are much bigger. Many more cones than last year. I built a trellis with twine and the vines curl around it with a death grip. Maintenance free. Good luck.

 

I don't know. I was thinking about planting them next spring, but obviously I need to find a variety that can put up with some heat and ungodly amounts of rain.