Hop Growing in Wisconsin

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natefrog255

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I was considering giving hop growing a shot next spring. Just was curious if Wisconsin is conducive to growing? If so, any particular variety that is better? I seem to use Cascade often, and maybe growing a more expensive one like Citra would be ideal.

I am located in the Green Bay area specifically. I don't know, thought it would be cool. Then again I don't know how much work it entails so maybe not worth the hassle. I do have a trussle or whatever those things are called.

Any helpful tips are appreciated!
 
Google wisonsin hop exchange and wisconsin charter hops growing, I believe it is ghorstvalleyfarms.com. Wisconsin is trying to reestablish hops growing back in midwest area.

They are pretty easy to grow, just need vertical room. Gotta get the height above say like 12' or so, other people could tell you better. Also they take a couple years to establish, mine did okay the first year but I'm still hesitant to use them as they aren't super aromatic. I had like 15' of vertical room made by a wire between two poles. My 4 different varieties were EKG, Sterling, Hallertau, and Centennial. Centennial and Sterling kicked the most but this year, but I would say better to gauge which variety is best next year, since plants are mostly growing roots in year 1.

If you do decide, there is some reading material that helped me. Vol. 14 is hops growing.

http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/publorders.html
 
Do it!

Direct sun in the spring/summer/fall, maybe some mulch over top in the winter to keep the roots from freezing. They're a hearty weed, and will climb just about anything -- I've seen lots of people just run a line up to the eaves of their roof. Keep 'em watered, fertilize once in a while, they'll pretty much grow themselves.
 
Direct sun in the spring/summer/fall, maybe some mulch over top in the winter to keep the roots from freezing. They're a hearty weed, and will climb just about anything -- I've seen lots of people just run a line up to the eaves of their roof. Keep 'em watered, fertilize once in a while, they'll pretty much grow themselves.

From everything i read this seems to be the common opinion. Got some in the yard that were planted for decoration and they like water and sun. I've used them for brewing, we have no idea what variety they are so they are mystery hops for mystery brew. :mug:
 
First, thanks mbobhat for the mention. This is Dan from Gorst Valley outside of Madiwon, WI. ( You were close. Its gorstvalleyhops.com)

Hops grow perfectly well in Wisconsin. The only challenge we have is a little more moisture than the Pacific Northwest, so watch out for mold. Historically speaking, there was a brief time after the civil war when 25% of the world's supply grew here.

What grows well? Cascade grows well everywhere. During "normal" years (cooler temperatures and plenty of rain) our growers had a lot of luck with Mount Hood, goldings (EKG) and cascades. This year with the extreme heat and drought, the "older" breeds like Brewer's Gold went nuts. Old world hops (saaz, halitaur) never do well. Sterling fairs well. But we are still experimenting and what we have found is due to all the microclimates across WI, what does well at our farm doesn't fair as well a couple of miles away. So pick what you like to brew with, throw it in the ground and see what comes up.
 
Thanks for all of the information. I think my biggest issue will be the height hops go, if we're talking 10'+. I have a garden trestle which is probably 7-8' tall, our fence is only 6' and going against the house really isn't an option. The north side gets no sun hardly, the east side is the front, the south side is pretty close to the neighbor, and the west side is a possibility as it's the backyard but I don't think the wife would approve. :) I still will look into it. I think it would be cool to use your own grown hops.
 
If you want some rhizomes in the spring, head 2.5 hours north and bring some buckets and a shovel. You can have all the halleratauer you can carry, plus lots of cascade and some chinook. I'll even pour you a couple of beers and probably feed you.

The centennial may need to be trimmed, too, but I won't know until spring.
 
Yes, natefrog, just do it.

I am a first timer outside the Madison area (very close to Gorst Valley actually), and I bought 'starts' from a neighbor that had established plants. The 'starts' were already established shoots between 3 and 9 inches long with roots and all, dug right out of the ground of a very large crown/established plant. I got Cascade, Nugget and Centennial. The Cascades blew up, for a first year I harvested almost 2 pounds of wet hops (about 10 oz dried). The Nugget did very well, even though there was a snafu getting them established, but they finally took JULY 1st, and I still got an ounce (dry). Both Nugget and Cascade are still growing and putting out burs into late September.
The Centennial were my 'worst', and I think I could list a dozen reasons why, but all things considered even with no cones, the roots/crown established itself so mission accomplished anyway.

I did not do anything special to get them going, like Dan said, they are weeds they will grow. I dug a hole, put them in and watered them almost everyday in this drought of a summer. I did use some miracle grow soil after a while, and mixed up some garden miracle grow (blue solution) and treated them every 7-14 days as directed. I will admit that the Japanese beetles and spider mites would have taken a significant bite if I didn't stay on top of them, but there are easy methods for control. You probably have to be a little more sensitive with frost/freeze being more 'up nort'. Have at it!
 
I seem to use Cascade often, and maybe growing a more expensive one like Citra would be ideal.[...]
Any helpful tips are appreciated!

Don't waste your time looking for Citra. It is still a proprietary hop strain so there's no legitimate way to obtain them for growing without getting the proprietor's approval.

If you like Cascade, definitely plant some of those, and consider some Centennial and perhaps Chinook, all of which are in the citrusy/piney zone, and seem to be easy enough to cultivate...

Cheers!
 
Wisconsin is basically a perfect climate for hops, I'm a terrible gardener and I got four different varieties to grow great this year in Stevens Point.
 
If you want some rhizomes in the spring, head 2.5 hours north and bring some buckets and a shovel.

Yooper, I would love to take you up on this if the offer extends beyond the OP. I'm also from Green Bay and make frequent trips up to Daggett, MI to visit the girlfriend's folks. I would love to get my hands on some Hallertau and Chinook! (Willing to trade centennial, cascade, goldings, or homebrew for them too!)

Nate, like everyone keeps saying, it is really quite easy. I have 2 second year plants that grew voraciously in my parent's backyard. Southern exposure and water make keep them happy. Of course, the potting soil I mixed with the clay-heavy earth probably helped the roots establish themselves. I harvested 9 rhizomes from these two plants this year, potted them and trellaced them on the patio of my apartment. These guys face west and are still thriving in 8" pots, next year in the ground, I'm positive they will bear cones. I have 21 plants now and will build a small little yard for them (somewhere) next spring. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't entertaining some idea of bringing hop farming back to Wisconsin :D
 
Yooper, I would love to take you up on this if the offer extends beyond the OP. I'm also from Green Bay and make frequent trips up to Daggett, MI to visit the girlfriend's folks. I would love to get my hands on some Hallertau and Chinook! (Willing to trade centennial, cascade, goldings, or homebrew for them too!)

Nate, like everyone keeps saying, it is really quite easy. I have 2 second year plants that grew voraciously in my parent's backyard. Southern exposure and water make keep them happy. Of course, the potting soil I mixed with the clay-heavy earth probably helped the roots establish themselves. I harvested 9 rhizomes from these two plants this year, potted them and trellaced them on the patio of my apartment. These guys face west and are still thriving in 8" pots, next year in the ground, I'm positive they will bear cones. I have 21 plants now and will build a small little yard for them (somewhere) next spring. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't entertaining some idea of bringing hop farming back to Wisconsin :D

Oh, sure, anytime. Well, "anytime" in the spring that is! :D I'm a long way from Daggett, like 90 miles! But if you're up for a little roadtrip, you're always welcome.

I have centennial, goldings, and cascade already so no need to trade.
 
Nate, like everyone keeps saying, it is really quite easy. I have 2 second year plants that grew voraciously in my parent's backyard. Southern exposure and water make keep them happy. Of course, the potting soil I mixed with the clay-heavy earth probably helped the roots establish themselves. I harvested 9 rhizomes from these two plants this year, potted them and trellaced them on the patio of my apartment. These guys face west and are still thriving in 8" pots, next year in the ground, I'm positive they will bear cones. I have 21 plants now and will build a small little yard for them (somewhere) next spring. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't entertaining some idea of bringing hop farming back to Wisconsin :D

That's good to know. We have alot of sun in our backyard, especially to the south & west. It may be fun to try out, if it works, great...if not, nothing much lost. Thanks for all of the information!
 
I must have a real brown thumb!

I live in Wisconsin Rapids and I've got three hops going and have yet to have a harvest of enough to brew more than one batch of beer.

I've got nugget, Mt. Hood, and a mystery bine that was here from the previous owner. The Nugget and Mt. Hood have been in for two years. The mystery bine is at least 5 years old. I got nothing from the Mt. Hood and the mystery bine. I got about one dehydrator tray worth of Nugget this year.

I watered them faithfully through the drought. I mulched 'em. And I even added a little chicken poop to the Mt. Hood and Nugget. The grass on the edges of the mulch looked fantastic but the hops, not so much.

Lots of sun and plenty of vertical room.

The Jap beetles hit the Mt. Hood pretty hard.

But other than that I don't know whats up.
 
Hey BlackJaque - I am not from The Rapids, but I have spent a lot of time in Nekoosa, and The WI Rapids area (recreation), and one guess might be super sandy soil. I know that is a very sandy part of the state in the WI River basin, and if you think that might be a potential problem, I might check the soil content (clay, silt, loam, sand %) and the pH of your soil. I also heard chicken poop can be slightly alkaline (above pH 7), hops generally like slightly acidic pH (below 7). Also sandy soil can sometimes be slightly over pH 7 so maybe you had a combination that the plants didn't like too much. From most of what I read, hear and experience hops are basically weeds that grow crazy anywhere, so if you are having issues I would start at the soil. The good news is that hops like a fast draining soil, so if you get the nutrients and pH right they should thrive. Secondly, this was a brutally hot and unusually dry summer here in WI, so perhaps your second year aspirations went out with the weather. I am discounting that for certain species since I had cascades and nugget that fared well in the heat, centennial took a hit from the heat and did nothing (but are also first years). As far as the Mt. Hood the beetles cause severe stress, perhaps that is the answer to the lack of production in those as well. Just throwing out some possible starting points. Good luck in getting to the bottom of the issues. Cheers, UWbucky
 
this was a brutally hot and unusually dry summer here in WI

No kidding. I watered regularly, and some plants seemed to do well. However, the area I am gardening is in between two garages, and the wind funnels through there. I also got a hefty $170 water bill at the end of the summer - thankfully we have a separate meter for outdoor faucets. Having that fear of the water bill I'm sure kept me from watering as much as I should have.

If all goes well with my experiment in going down to one vehicle for the family - I should have enough money saved to get a separate well for the garden next year.
 
Sorry about the thread necromancy.

I live in De Pere as well and established three hop hills 5? years ago. The Cascades are unstoppable and produce like maniacs, as others have said. They got me several ounces dried the first year despite going in as rhizomes.

The other two in my yard are Liberty and Willamette. They are more unpredictable based on weather (moisture and springtime temps); in some years they've grown taller than the Cascades but yielded many fewer cones. This year I got a lawn service (too damn many weeds) and the overspray caught the Liberties and Willamettes mid-May. After trimming all the damaged bines there wasn't anything left, but they came back pretty well...no cones, but they survived.

One brewpartner (who lives near Preble HS) struggles to keep up with them due to work and travel, but can get good yield off his Sterlings and Nuggets. I take a lot better care of my Cascades, and his Nuggets still almost out-produce them.

My father (lives in Ashwaubenon) grows a Tettnang on his back fence and it would yield ok if the neighbor lady didn't keep clipping off anything that sticks onto her side of the fence. (We don't share homebrew with her.)

For a trellis, I tried some chain link fence poles but they were too flimsy. I ended up digging holes 2-3 feet down, got some 14' or 16' 2x4's, sistered them up to make a 4x4, and anchored them with a half-bag of quickrete each. I put one more 16-footer across the top, so it looks like a giant E coming out of the ground. I added a little bracing while the concrete set up and never really took it down - but it would stand free at this point. I didn't use treated wood (don't want the arsenic and crap leaching into the soil where my hops are growing) so I will probably have to change the boards out in a few more years. (Lesson to be learned there is use the forming tubes - I have to change my mailbox out every other year or so, and it's easier to get the smooth round cylinder out of the ground).

This picture was taken May 24, 2010. From left to right, Willamette, Liberty, and Cascade. The Liberty is by far the tallest (>6' already), but my records don't say what I got off of it. I think I got close to a dry lb off the Cascades...this year I got almost 2 lbs.

hops May 24 2010.jpg
 
Interested in Growing Hops?
Just in your backyard or commercially?
The Hop Garden is offering two workshops on growing Hops. We are a new Hop Yard located outside of Belleville, Wisconsin. We are located about 20 minutes south of the Beltline from Madison. Where best to learn about hops than an actual 10 acre hop yard! Workshops will be led by Rich Joseph, Co-Owner of Joseph Staudt Hop’s and The Hop Garden. Joseph Staudt Hop’s is a two acre Hop Yard located in Neosho, Wisconsin. Joseph Staudt Hop’s have been featured at many of Wisconsin’s finest Breweries and Brew Pubs, including: The Grumpy Troll, The Great Dane, Title Town Brewery, One Barrel Brewing, Rustic Brewing and Stone Cellar Brew Pub. Rich has been growing hops for 4 years commercially. He is the Vice President of Wisconsin Hop Exchange and has been working with Brewers all over the Midwest.
Backyard Hop Growing is designed for the home brewer or the folks that just like to learn more about hops and how they are used in beer making. Topics covered will include where and how to plant hops, how to care for them, backyard trellis structures, fertilizing and watering, harvesting and drying, as well as packaging for future use. Cost is $45 per person or sign up as a group of two or more and the price drops to $35 per person. Workshops start at 9:30am and will finish at Noon. The workshop will be offered on the following Saturday mornings: January 11th, 25th and February 8th.
The Commercial Hop Growing Workshop is designed for the person that is thinking about growing a larger amount of hops from ¼ acre which is about 250 plants to 10 acres or more. Topics will include, Hop plant structure and life, what Brewers are looking for in their hops, economics, labor requirements, hop yard planning and design, purchasing rootstock and plants, scouting for weeds and insects, harvesting options, dryer or oast design, resources available, packaging and marketing or working with Wisconsin Hop Exchange Cooperative. Cost is $125 per person or $95 per person if signing up in a group of two or more. The Workshop will start at 9am and will finish at Noon, lunch and refreshments will be provided and discussions will last until all questions are answered or 3pm. This workshop will be offered on the following Saturday Mornings: February 1st, 15th and 22nd.
How To Reserve Your Seat:
The workshops will be conducted at the office of The Hop Garden. Tours will be given of the yard and facilities, weather permitting. Seating is limited per workshop. To reserve your seat please mail a check payable to: The Hop Garden, N8668 County Road D, Belleville, Wisconsin 53508. Please include the number of seats being reserved, the date of the meeting you are going to attend, along with an email address or home address. Once the check is received you will be sent an invoice by mail or email to confirm your reservation.
Make a day or a weekend of it and visit local breweries. We are 8 miles from New Glarus Brewing, 10 miles from Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona, 12 miles from The Great Dane in Fitchburg, 17 miles to the Grumpy Troll in Mt. Horeb and 25 miles to Minhas Brewing in Monroe. There are excellent Hotels in all of these cities.
For more information and to learn more about our Hop Yards, please contact:
Rich Joseph: 608-516-9649, [email protected] or visit our website: TheHopGarden.net visit us on Facebook - Joseph Staudt Hop’s or The Hop Garden
 
I ended up getting some small Cascade hop plants late last summer and planted them. 2 of the 4 came up strong this year. I think the other 2 maybe got over saturated as the root was pretty wet. But I'm happy thus far. We'll see what happens the rest of the summer.
 
Nice.

I'm probably within a 45 minute drive from you Nate. My wife and I just bought a house and I bought one each of Hallertau and Nugget from GreatLakesHops and they're spending their first year in containers climbing some twine up to the trellis (my wife calls it the clothes-line).

Mine are looking pretty good so far, 2 lengths of twine per plant and each supporting 2 bines per twine. Just got to the point where I'm satisfied that the bines are on the twine so I put up some wire around them to keep the bunnies away.

I've been keeping them pretty saturated, but they're in containers so the excess drains off pretty well.

:mug:
 
Nice.

I'm probably within a 45 minute drive from you Nate. My wife and I just bought a house and I bought one each of Hallertau and Nugget from GreatLakesHops and they're spending their first year in containers climbing some twine up to the trellis (my wife calls it the clothes-line).

Mine are looking pretty good so far, 2 lengths of twine per plant and each supporting 2 bines per twine. Just got to the point where I'm satisfied that the bines are on the twine so I put up some wire around them to keep the bunnies away.

I've been keeping them pretty saturated, but they're in containers so the excess drains off pretty well.

:mug:

Awesome, how did yours turn out? I thought for first year harvesting (2nd summer) I did okay. 2 of the 4 I planted produced hops and so far I have gotten 6 oz (Dry) and 12-15 oz (Wet) of Cascade hops. I still have maybe a couple ounces (Wet) left to pick. Not bad for first year.
 
I am pretty happy with how they turned out. I wasn't expecting to get much, this was more of a year to let them grow a bit before I plant them in their permanent location, and the containers I had them planted in were pretty small. I picked the Hallertau cones a while ago, got enough for a test batch, and it looks like I'll be picking the Nugget soon and get enough for another test batch.

Right now the leaves are turning yellow and brown and falling off. I am hoping that is just because we're late in the season.
 
I am from Two Rivers, WI and I have Cascade, Sterling, and Cluster. The Cluster and Cascade grow very well and the Sterling gives me a limited harvest. I use my Cluster the most and actually prefer my homegrown Cluster over the store bought ones. I wish I could get my Sterling to grow more vigorously as they are pretty good in my Pilsners.
 
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