Hop growing
 

I have never atempted growing my own hops. however I live in the herb capital of america which is gahanna ohio. I have been wondering if there is some magic to growing hops or can they be pretty much grown any where? btw Ohio has screwed up weather, where we could have snow one day and summer the next. Ok, not really that bad but it does seem pretty eratic but i have never compared it to other places hops are grown. any thoughts?

If people grow them in Michigan, you can grow them in Ohio. I'm on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois and I grow them just fine. No magic...just a little dedication for the first few years. Make sure you water a lot and put them in direct sunlight, and you'll get hops.

There is nothing too difficult about growing hops. You may search through this part of the forum to find out what varieties grow best in your area. Here in NC I can't stop Cascade and Nugget from growing and producing like mad, but I have had much less luck with Northern Brewer, Sterling and Magnum; so I'd have to say your choice of variety will have a big affect on how easy they are to grow. But, with that wonderful Ohio soil you are already in good shape.

How much sun do they need? Afternoon, morning, full day?? I'd love to be able to grow them inside, but suspect that won't really be a viable option. I'd probably end up using bucket planters for the first couple of years, or until I can either get a place with yard space I can take over (not sure if my current landlord would let me plant these) or until I can convince my sister, or mother, to let me plant them at their place (about 45-60 minutes away)... I'd need them to tend to the watering during the week, so that the grow properly... I can see going up there a lot more on the weekends (that might convince mom to do this for me :D) at least until harvest time...

Is there a good minimum number of hops to plant if you want enough to cover your brewing year round (I hope to brew at least once a month, if not twice a month starting spring)??

Next time I get to the LHBS I'll have to pick their brains about growing my own hops... I understand that it will be some time before I actually get to use my own, but it would be nice to have my own hops in my brews come next fall...

I've been thinking about this a bit more...

Would it be advisable/ok to use 5 gallon buckets for the first year or two? It would be easier to have them in buckets, with a something for them to grow up. Thinking of building something that goes up about 8-10 feet from ground level. I could (probably) partially bury the bucket (looking to make sure it won't tip over) if needed. Not to sure about putting holes in the bottom, but I could (for draining excess water out). For a 5 gallon bucket, I would probably put a couple of inches of stone in the bottom, then soil and fertilizer mix (cow manure being my first choice) and possibly soil from the compost heap.

Since I'm renting right now, and never know what my [a$$hole] landlord will think up next, or change his mind on, I need something where I'll have some flexibility to move the hops for the following season. I will have to talk with my sister (and brother in law) on xmas to see if they would be willing to let me plant hops in their yard. The only place that gets maximum sun is between the driveway and house. Don't think I'll be able to plant there. My only other option would be at the far end of their back yard. That might work, since it would also be outside of their garden, and an area they don't really care too much about... I need to find a place to plant the hops before I purchase a rhizome (or two)... If I can use their back yard, the I might get a few and build up a decent structure for them. I'll just need someone up there to take care of the hops during the week (watering if needed)...

If that really won't work, then I'll probably just keep buying pellets for now, and make sure the next place I move into will let me grow hops. Or find a good brew-buddy that has a yard where we can plant some hops.

So far, I've been using Fuggle, Cascade and Kent Golding hops in my brews. I can see also using Glacier, Santiam, and Tettnanger in brews. I'm pretty sure all of those would do fairly well in my area of MA... Yes?

Here is a link to Brew Your Own Magazine... it's a great article for growing hops in a container. http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/1926-growing-hops-in-containers

Hope this helps!

I've seen hops grown in containers.

I'll be growing hops this year too (so long as the early heat here in AZ doesn't kill them). Best of luck to you!

EXCELLENT information... I've already printed out the article and saved a bookmark for it. I think I'm going to have to subscribe to BYO so that I can get access to all that great info (easily)...

I'll have to check with my landlord to see if he'll let me take a section of the 'garden' area on the south side of the house so that I can plant a couple of hops. Already found 20"+ planters at Lowes, so I should be good there (a few different options, some at/above 24" even)...

I can tell you from experience that the bigger the planter, the better off you'll be. A buddy of mine and I started growing hops at the same time. He doesn't brew, just liked the idea of having hops. He lives in an apartment but has a rooftop get can grow hops on that has a little shade, but mostly sun.

He put them in huge pots that we found, and by the end of the year, mine had outgrown his by nearly 10-12'. He only produced 30-50 hops buds, but mine produced around 4 ounces. His died during the next summer from what I'm assuming was a crowded root structure, but I'm not sure. Mine are still going strong producing much more every year.

What size pot did he use? Did he water it enough (or the right amount per the article)?? Just wondering if the problems were due to something that can be easily avoided or not... Do you remember what hop he was growing?

I've been looking at picking up the largest planter I can get and still fit it where I can fit it. I'm also planning on making sure I pick the type that has the best chance of doing well, but is in the set that I'm interested in (and plan to use of course)...