So who's expanding?

for those of you who attempted growing hops for the first time this last season I have some questions:

What did you grow last year?

If you are expanding, how many are you putting in?

What types?

Are you setting up a trading co-op?

Does your spouse hate you yet?

I'm adding a total of 14 plants 5 - Cascade, 5 - Nugget, 2 - Kent Goldigs, & 2 - Fuggles.

I've got a friend that is growing several different types than I am, between the two of us we should be good to go.

Grew 2 each Nugget, Centennial and Cascade. Not looking to plant more but working on a better growing situation. I can't grow up much more than 6-9 feet (power lines) so I went up 6' and horizontally 15'. The nugget did well but the other two not so much. Mulling over some options this winter to make for better growing conditions.

I chose as much as the property can hold...but it's more like all that SWMBO will allow.

I've got well established Nugget, Cascade, Centennial and Mt. Hood. Last year was the first year for Magnum and Willamette. One Magnum survived - only about 1.5 ounces total - but the most beautiful flowers - looked like little green pine cones. The Willamettes did not do well, but they get another chance next year before I pull them out.

Other brewers in my local club have several other varieties - I can trade for the varieties I don't grow. I really enjoy using my homegrown hops and the savings go to buy grain and equipment.

I didn't vote since I 2009 will be first season growing hops. But I figured I'd mention that I'll be trying out 3 different hops: Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. I was planning on 4 (2 Cascade) but my plan for horizontal growth (clothesline like structure) just wouldn't allow enough plants. Having a heavily wooded lot is making placement for hops difficult

BigKahuna said:

I chose as much as the property can hold...but it's more like all that SWMBO will allow.

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I'm in the same boat here. Although I planted Cascade, Golding and Willamette. The Golding failed, rhizome rotted out and no bines.

Have a lot of contacts that have some, I was given over 5 lbs of Chinook, Perle and Cascade from a local person. Look at what McBrew had and that is about as much as I had.

I grew 1 nugget, 2 Northern Brewer, 2 Fuggle, and 2 Sunbeam Goldings.
Only yielded cones from the nugget and northern brewer(2oz total)

I plan on adding about 2-4 more this year, probably cascades. I will be growing them 100% Organic as well.

Out of my three first year varieties, only the fuggles survived. I'm limited in space and growing in pots. Next year I'm going to take a stab at cascades again, and maybe something like Warrior or Amarillo.

I've posted pictures of my cascade yield, and the hallertauer did well but are a lower yielding variety.

I think I'm all set, but I would like to plant nugget or another variety for bittering. I don't really have a suitable place, though.

ve one each of
goldings
fuggle
willamette
cascade
crystal
northern brewer

plans next yr are for transplanting the first three and expanding to other locations with the cascade and crystal

We were going to double our crop this year but decided to just let it ride, add a few, replace a few that didn't come up, and see what happens next year. I think I am going to have more than I can use.

I can't fit anymore on the property. I got 25 lbs fully dried this last season PLUS I still have at least 4 lbs from last year....NO MORE! Until we get more land....

McKBrew said:

Next year I'm going to take a stab at cascades again, and maybe something like Warrior or Amarillo.

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I'm with you in wanting to grow Amarillo, though I gather that they and Simcoe are not available to the public, so we can't get rhizomes for them. Which is a shame, as I'd happily convert my entire garden to growing Amarillo and Simcoe if they were available.

As it is, I have established Target and Challenger plants, and I'll try and pick up some Centennial and Cascade rhizomes while I'm in the States next April.

I had three plants of Cascade, and only one grew any flowers. I'm hoping they all take off next year, and until then, I'm just putting all my attention on them. If they do well, then I might consider planting more if I can figure out where.

I'm gonna do it this spring for the first time Hopefully it will work out. I live in a townhouse and only have a small area to grow with limited sun through out the day. The rhizomes are cheap enough to atleast give it a shot.

I'll be rebuilding my trellis this year. The current one has the bines meeting at the top & that makes it a pain to harvest. If I do anything else, I'll be moving the Sunbeam to a shady spot and replacing it with a Goldings.

I'd happily convert my entire garden to growing Amarillo and Simcoe

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Amarillo is a Cascade sport, so someone might get lucky.

Hey, quick question on hops....are we still in a "crisis"? I know the prices have not come down, but has availability increased?

Every time I see this thread all I can think is...

Yes. My gut is expanding.

As to hops. Well, I think I may add some Chinook and Willamette. One hill of each. I currently have one hill each of cascade and Centennial and Golding. The Golding were not very happy, time will tell. Also 2 hills of a wild/feral hop I dug up and transplanted. I may remove one as they were both very happy, but I am uncertain as to whether I am really "digging" them.

Zymurgrafi said:

Every time I see this thread all I can think is...

Yes. My gut is expanding.

Click to expand...

You and me both!

I had cascade, chinook and willamette. I'll put in more but god knows where, i have a pretty small yard compared with some of the folks on here. My goal next year is to use them ornamentaly as well. Perhaps put up some sort of pergola over my patio and have hops growing up that.

My wife was not all together thrilled about the idea of having hop bines growing until they came in and then she really liked the way they looked and was the one who suggested we might use some for their aesthetic proposes.

Now if i can only decide what to plant. Anyone here grow hops that are useful in Belgian style beers? Do they taste the same as those that would be grown in Europe? Suggestions anyone?

The Soft Underbelly said:

Now if i can only decide what to plant. Anyone here grow hops that are useful in Belgian style beers? Do they taste the same as those that would be grown in Europe? Suggestions anyone?

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Hops will take on different characteristics dependent on where they are grown as I understand it. That is why East Kent Goldings taste different from British Columbia Goldings and different from Yakima Goldings. Another example. There are now Cascades hops available from Argentina which apparently are mild and taste nothing like American Cascades.

As to which type for Belgians usually Styrian Goldings (from Czech) which are related to Fuggles. Or sometimes EKG are used as well. Depends on the type of Belgian beer.

Last year I bought and planted about a month too late. 1 chinook, and 1 Willamette actually grew. 3 kent goldings didn't grow at all. I didn't get any cones. This year I think I am going to plant at least 4 more rhizome's, I am thinking something along the lines of sterling. I am also going to get them into the ground as soon as posible.

Am I the only one going for a little bit more of big time here? My coworker and I are going to start about a half acre plot with full trellis system and all. I have talked to some local micros who have shown some interest for use in their harvest ales once we get some establishment.

Well, my wife divorced me. . . she muttered something about too many hops. . .well, the house is mine now. . . and as a test to my new SWMBO, more hops will be going up. Its hops or the high road

I'm doubling up to as much as a once ornamental garden can stand. My first year hops were disappointing, but I'm still optimistic for some reason.

I had 2 first year cascades, and they didn't grow very well, so I'm not going add anymore. I'll see if they work next year. They had to fight rabbits, bugs, and a hurricane this year, so I don't know what the problem was.

Seabee John said:

I'm adding a total of 14 plants 5 - Cascade, 5 - Nugget, 2 - Kent Goldigs, & 2 - Fuggles.

I've got a friend that is growing several different types than I am, between the two of us we should be good to go.

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Who are you selling all of these to? Even 200gals of IPA isn't going to use all that hops.

I have 4 plants, Cascades, Centennial, Chinook and Willamette. If I can take care of them a little better next year and harvest them at the right time I should get plenty for my needs. As it is I got at least 8oz of each variety and with my stock from pre hop crisis I don't anticipate needing to buy hops.

Craig

I'll pull rhizomes from my mature cascade(one plant) next year and add two boxes and trade/give away the rest. This plant only gave me three oz. My first years were one each centennial, mt. hood, and hallertau. None of these produced cones due to an early June weather induced removal of growth tips on all of the bines and my mature plant(hence the crappy harvest). They all still grew and fattened the roots. I also put in a magnum that never broke ground.

Next year I plan to expand where I can. I have about six spots between my house and friends' houses that I plan to run a plant up some power pole guy wires. I want another cent., CTZ, goldings, saaz, maybe tett. I'm still not totally decided. Guess it'll be up to what I click on when they're available next spring. I'm still waiting on a Yakima rhizome pirate to get me some amarillo and simcoe rhizomes

I'm thinking of putting them in this spring. I'm thinking two or three plant, using the "cable around my tree with guide lines running up to it" technique on the giant cottonwood in my back yard. Kind of worried about the dogs though. Don't know what I'll be growing though.

TerapinChef said:

I'm thinking of putting them in this spring. I'm thinking two or three plant, using the "cable around my tree with guide lines running up to it" technique on the giant cottonwood in my back yard. Kind of worried about the dogs though. Don't know what I'll be growing though.

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Can't remember where... but I heard Hops may be bad news for dogs.... you may want to do a little research and make sure you don't harm your best friends

TerapinChef said:

Kind of worried about the dogs though. Don't know what I'll be growing though.

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I was worried about my dogs as well. they'll eat just about anything. They thought my tomatoes were balls that they could play fetch with. Ditto the squash. They'll eat grass, weeds, and just about anything that grows in the ground.

Showed zero interest in hops though.

I asked others the same question this time last year and heard much the same.

Hops are dangerous for dogs, but perhaps dogs have evolved a distaste for hops? Who knows... be careful for sure but grow hops anyway.

I harvested and dried approximately 8 ounces off of two nugget hop plants that were planted a few years ago by my wife as an ornamental plant in our herb garden. This year was the first year they produced anything to speak of, but now I've got the feaver. My parents own a large tract of land in North Georgia and my dad has 160 feet of antenna mast in ten foot sections that have been sitting in his basement for decades. I'm going to start small this spring and am planning to plant three rizomes each of ten different varieties. I view next year as a test case and based on the results, which varieties thrive and which don't, I'm going to upscale in a big way in 2010.

I've got an old college roommate that is a biologist and homebrewer that has a university lab available. I know the problem with homegrown hops is figuring out exactly the AA%. My friend is researching the testing proceedure, but feels sure he has the equipment available to do the test. Hopefully this will work because it will make any hops I grow much more useable.

keelanfish said:

My friend is researching the testing proceedure, but feels sure he has the equipment available to do the test. Hopefully this will work because it will make any hops I grow much more useable.

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Keep us updated on this...there are many different colleges and universities nearby, and if it's a quick and easy test, I think my Wine and Spirits teacher (also head of the biology department) and I are going to stay in touch...I'm already trying to convince him that he should put my possibly-infected Belgian Dark Strong under the Electron Scanning Microscope and tell me what's in it besides yeast...