Hop relocation

If you are not sure where you want them to go, you could grew in a large container the first year. It will make transplanting easier. Bear in mind, the first year of growth is typically a low harvest year. By transplanting you probably will not get optimal growth the second year, either, but at least your rhizome will have a chance to get more robust in year 1.

 

Plant them anywhere you like. In a few years, you'll have more than enough rhizomes that you can start a whole new crop elsewhere. And who knows? With enough demand at $4 a pop, you can probably even pay for a new garage!

 

Hops are an invasive. If you are not sure where you want them, I 100% agree with @pweis909; put them in a pot 1st year and than decide. Even if you know final location, consider a raised bed for containment. On the other hand, if you have a ton of land, who cares; disregard my feedback entirely.

 

I like the idea of hops growing over the garage,,,, as long as you can safely get the hops off the roof. I had some going over an old greenhouse frame once. Sold the frame a few years later, planted some poles and all was well.

 

My garage roof gets hot enough that the hops would not spread or grow there.

 

Maybe up the side toward the peak!?

 

This was the reason I suggested a container. They might be hard to eradicate if they grow where you don't want them, so make sure you like the location before you commit. I also like the raised bed idea and think I might try this approach if I ever decide to return to hop growing. But the truth is, I'd rather buy hops and grow tomatoes. There are only two things money can't buy -- true love and homegrown tomatoes.

 

Now I'm going to go to bed with that song in my head

 

Hop rootballs get very big. This is a Cascades root I had to dig up andmove after 5 years, in an adult sized lawn chair.

 

Homegrown hops are just like homegrown tomatoes. Serious.

 

Also, raised beds won't contain my centennials. I have to maintain the crown, prune back runners, and manage the hell out of my two plants.

 

Just be diligent, if you stay on top of hops they stay contained. If you let them do their own thing they can get out of control quickly.

 

@SFACRKnight we in the NE can not grow hops like you guys in CO. My brothers centennial hops were 30 feet and super heavy with cones, same with Columbus. I routinely reach 15-17 feet but nowhere near the yeild.

 

I thought 15ft poles would work for me. Wrong. My one plant went to the top, turned around, and came down another 20ish feet. Whoops.

 

Plant them wherever you have dirt. In a few years, they'll be wherever you want them to be. And everywhere else, too. I've found them popping up 30' from where I originally planted them a few years ago. They'd probably be all over the yard if I didn't cut the grass weekly.

 

@Granitebeard I used a planters mix from my local landscape company that is:
60% top soil
20% sterilized steer manure
20% compost
All of my raised beds and half barrels were filled with this originally, the hops love it. Every spring I top dress them all with about three inches of compost, and once they start really climbing I top dress the crowns biweekly with an organic garden fertilizer. The only other suggestion I have is if you use raised beds allow the natural soil to be in direct contact with the soil in the bed. If there is a barrier then worms can't come in and eat up all the compost.