I want to grow my own hops! Sadly, I live in a rented house with a tiny yard, and my landlord says I can't plant anything in the ground. On the other hand... my parents have 40+ acres of land in upstate South Carolina which they are doing absolutely nothing with. My grandfather used to raise cattle there (so its well fertilized) but now its just empty pasture, with plenty of old fenceline to support hop bines.
I would love to plant some hops out there. Here's the downside. My parents are teetotalers (they don't drink at all). Needless to say, they don't approve of me brewing. They don't care if I plant hops on the property, but they refused to help take care of the plants. I would do it myself but I live 6 hours away. Not exactly an easy trek just to water some hop plants. So I'm thinking about ordering some rhizomes, planting them, and letting them grow wild.
Questions:
1) What hop varieties grow best in upstate South Carolina?
2) How well would hops grow in the wild, without direct care?
3) What precautions should I take to keep pests (bugs, deer, etc) from killing the plants, since I won't be around to protect them?
I would love to plant some hops out there. Here's the downside. My parents are teetotalers (they don't drink at all). Needless to say, they don't approve of me brewing. They don't care if I plant hops on the property, but they refused to help take care of the plants. I would do it myself but I live 6 hours away. Not exactly an easy trek just to water some hop plants. So I'm thinking about ordering some rhizomes, planting them, and letting them grow wild.
Questions:
1) What hop varieties grow best in upstate South Carolina?
2) How well would hops grow in the wild, without direct care?
3) What precautions should I take to keep pests (bugs, deer, etc) from killing the plants, since I won't be around to protect them?