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Home grown hops for brewing

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Flight0011, Feb 28, 2013.

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  1. marcdalke

    marcdalke Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2009 Connecticut

    Anyone have any pics laying around of their garden setup? I am doing this for the first time this year and I'd love some visual inspiration.
     
  2. utahbeerdude

    utahbeerdude Maven (1,374) May 2, 2006 Utah

  3. basscram

    basscram Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2006 Maine
    Deactivated

    I took the plunge a year ago. You will definitely get cones the first year with at least one of the rhizomes for sure! not enough for a batch of beer though. Plant the rhizomes as instructed with a mix of cow manure and 10-10-10. You will have some cones in the fall from one of the many rhizomes you ordered. Some won't do anything. thats ok, thats why they tell ya to buy more than you would normally buy. put em in the ground with the cow manure mix and fert, water but not frequent so as to avoid root rot. if some grow out. cut first three that come out. plant each variety apart from each other as well.
     
  4. cates1tg

    cates1tg Initiate (0) Jul 18, 2010 Michigan

    I too am about to get my hands dirty with this endeavor. We've got plans for some raised beds garden with an area sectioned off to plant the crowns. I'm hopeful the foot and half raised bed will help deter the roots from jumping under the partition.
     
  5. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,397) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    Your naiveté is, truly, charming! :wink:
     
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  6. broodog

    broodog Zealot (693) Jul 18, 2009 Illinois

    8 varieties? Hope you have a big backyard! Enjoy. It's lots of fun.
     
  7. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Wither and die? My wife planted an ornamental hop a few years back , found it too invasive and it had to go.The hop didn't agree and depite all our efforts new shoots keep on appearing! These are tough beasts to be sure :slight_smile:
     
  8. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,397) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    My grandmother gave me a plastic sandwich bag with a Mint rhizome in it back in the 60's. I planted it, cultivated it, watered it, tilled the soil, etc for years until I moved out in the early 70s after getting married. I was at my Mom's house last summer. There was mint growing vigorously 100' from the original bed (fortunately, it's the same shade of green as the grass). I suspect that, like mint, hops are forever.
     
  9. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Good idea...sink the 1/2 barrel half way in the ground and drill large holes in the bottom...this will basicly give you a hill and the barrel sides will prevent some sideways creep.
     
  10. Flight0011

    Flight0011 Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 Washington

    I planted my hops about a week and a half ago, they were all healthy looking with some decient shoots comming off of them. two of them have already broke the surface and are already spreading out there leaves. So far so good.
     
  11. pcsnyder

    pcsnyder Zealot (677) May 2, 2011 Pennsylvania

    I'm considering growing my own hops starting next year. What supplier have you guys bought your rhizomes from? When's the best time to plant them? I'd assume I would want to wait until after the last frost, right?
     
  12. GeckoPunk

    GeckoPunk Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2012 Connecticut

    Ditto... Looks like we're in the same boat.
     
  13. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    I've bought rhizomes from many different growers/retailers...they almost always arrive in good condition. I've only had one die out of 11 and the other one survived (I always order 2 as recommended). Like any garden planting, they take some nurturing and love :slight_smile:

    If I wasn't so lazy I'd upload some pixs of my 10 ft tall Chinooks, et al...waiting for some easy uploading softwware that doesn't require a login.
     
  14. robbrandes

    robbrandes Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2010 Oregon
    Trader

    maybe it's the magic of the southern oregon climate...
    single mound of cascades - probably 4oz dry weight 1st year, a full pound 2nd year, and last year i was certainly over 2 pounds off that one hill. i only had room for them to get to about 10' high, and i let a LOT of bines grow, probably 20 from that hill.
    as far as invasiveness, what everyone else said times 5. i transplanted all my hops this spring and found roots as big around as your thumb more than 10' away from the hill. they make bamboo seem quaint.
    and ditto the labor of love. 2+ pounds of hops - yay! so $20 cash value, probably spent 5 hours tending/picking/drying/pruning.
     
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  15. rocdoc1

    rocdoc1 Savant (1,191) Jan 13, 2006 New Mexico

    [​IMG]
    This is a 5 year old Cascade crown, and it doesn't include the long runners that came up yards away from this main crown. This is a full size adult lawn chair.
     
  16. Flight0011

    Flight0011 Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 Washington

    I don't know where your located at but I am in WA and I couldnt get any hops from out of state. I ended up going through RNV Enterprises. I guess the guy that runs it is the retired CEO of HopUnion. Anyway my hops came in great condition and they are growing pretty well.

    I will try to post a pic soon. I never got around buying the wine barrels and I will hopefuly be moving into a home and no longer renting so right now they are just in cheap plastic planters.
     
  17. Flight0011

    Flight0011 Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 Washington

    That looks like a nice mess, I guess it would be advantageous to put up a good rhizom barrier.
     
  18. Flight0011

    Flight0011 Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 Washington

    I almost forgot, Usualy hop rhizoms are shipped in early March so be sure to get your orders in before then because by the end of the month they are sold out. Besides that alot depends on location, rhizoms dont do well in a freeze. Mine have survived light frosts but on the nights when we were expecting freezes I would move them indoors.
     
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  19. rocdoc1

    rocdoc1 Savant (1,191) Jan 13, 2006 New Mexico

    Most hop growers(individuals, not commercial) trim the roots every spring, and most homebrew forums will have threads about trading or buying these trimmings. This year I used all my cuttings to replace plants that died over the past 3 years of drought, but next spring I'll let you have some much cheaper than buying them online, but you'll have to remind me in February or early March.
    My plants aren't bothered by freezes, even if they've already come up all that happens is that the leaves die back but new bines come up almost immediately. In fact, the rhizomes need a certain amount of very cold weather or they'll do poorly. That's why hops are not well suited for the deep south.
     
  20. pcsnyder

    pcsnyder Zealot (677) May 2, 2011 Pennsylvania

    Thanks, Flight0011. I'm in PA, but I haven't found many hops growers or retailers near me, so I'd have to order from out of state. I get my homebrew stuff from Midwest Supplies, but I was worried about ordering rhizomes from them because of the distance they'd be shipped. I'll keep looking, though -- glad I've got the better part of a year to do more research!
     
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