r8rphan
Well-Known Member
I want to start growing hops this year... and I have a couple questions..
I want to use the "square foot gardening method"... which is basically a raised bed with a custom made soil... It is intended to maximize space and time, by using 4x4 raised bed platers divided into 16 individual 1 foot square sections, with a plant in each...
I plan to build a 16' high trellis, with pullys at the top of each plant that will allow me to lower the plant down for harvesting without a ladder...
My concerns are twofold... First of all, freezing... With raised beds, I'm thinking that the soil in them will freeze easier than the surrounding soil.. Even though hops are wintered, and I would be covering them with mulch after cutting them down, If the ground around them were to freeze, would this kill the rhizome? If so, what is the best way to deal with this?
Also, I just don't think 1 square foot is sufficient for a hop. or is it? How many square feet would each hop plant need to do well? I'm not talking about 'spacing' which is to prevent competition as each plant will have it's own isolated soil bed... but square footage.. I know some people grow these things in pots, so I'm thinking it shouldn't need to be ridiculously big.. Also the square foot gardening method uses fairly shallow beds, so that might also increase the size requirements... The hops garden will be incorporated into a larger vegetable garden using the same method...
Finally, is THIS a good place to buy hops? Anyone ever dealt with them? And how many should I buy of each variety? Or am I pretty much guaranteed to get a plant out of each rhizome I buy?
Or are there better places to buy hops? I live in northern Ca.. I looked on Hops directs website, but didn't see anywhere to order rhizomes...
I want to use the "square foot gardening method"... which is basically a raised bed with a custom made soil... It is intended to maximize space and time, by using 4x4 raised bed platers divided into 16 individual 1 foot square sections, with a plant in each...
I plan to build a 16' high trellis, with pullys at the top of each plant that will allow me to lower the plant down for harvesting without a ladder...
My concerns are twofold... First of all, freezing... With raised beds, I'm thinking that the soil in them will freeze easier than the surrounding soil.. Even though hops are wintered, and I would be covering them with mulch after cutting them down, If the ground around them were to freeze, would this kill the rhizome? If so, what is the best way to deal with this?
Also, I just don't think 1 square foot is sufficient for a hop. or is it? How many square feet would each hop plant need to do well? I'm not talking about 'spacing' which is to prevent competition as each plant will have it's own isolated soil bed... but square footage.. I know some people grow these things in pots, so I'm thinking it shouldn't need to be ridiculously big.. Also the square foot gardening method uses fairly shallow beds, so that might also increase the size requirements... The hops garden will be incorporated into a larger vegetable garden using the same method...
Finally, is THIS a good place to buy hops? Anyone ever dealt with them? And how many should I buy of each variety? Or am I pretty much guaranteed to get a plant out of each rhizome I buy?
Or are there better places to buy hops? I live in northern Ca.. I looked on Hops directs website, but didn't see anywhere to order rhizomes...