What varieties grow well in New England?

Hey guys,

I have tried searching this on HBT, but I didn't come up with much useful information.

If I wanted to grow hops up here in Boston, are there any varieties that would work well? The other question for those of you that grow in harsh winters is what do you do with them? Leave them out in the weather with a cover?

Thanks

Sorry to be "general" with my advice, but I've read at several sites that hops naturally grow between the 30th and 50th parallels, which Boston lies within. So really, I'd say any type would grow in a New England summer, especially the british/german varieties that I've heard are susceptible to excessive heat from more southern climates...

/eagerly awaits knowledgeable hop growers to come in and clarify/correct my thoughts

I have three second year plants that came back this year. All I did to them was cut them back to ground level last fall and then covered with leaf mulch.

Cascade is suppsed to grow practically anywhere, with proper attention. Other than that, I can't say, but I'd try whatever you like to brew with. I think that most will do well in youe area if you can keep the pests away, and keep an eye on them.

what do you guys do in the winter? I thought that hop vines take 3+ years to mature. I don't know a lot about growing hops, which I why I came here, so excuse me if these questions seem a little "green"

If I were to cut the vines back to ground level and cover them, do they still yield hops every year?

From everything I've read (and i'm a little 'green' at this also) the bines die back to the ground at the end of the growing season anyway.

The root stays viable throughout the winter and sprouts up along with all the other things coming alive in the spring...when you harvest the hops, you cut the vine near the base and drag it to a separate location to pluck the hops off; even if you don't cut it, the vine will die and regrow the next year no problem.

And from what I've read, you will get a yield (albeit a smaller one) on your first year, but lots of energy goes to the root structure's maturation. The following years it needs less energy to grow the roots and thus generates a larger amount of hops. Freshops (my rhizome supplier) even states you'll get a yield the first year, but don't expect the "expected yield" until year 2 and thereafter, so 3+ years is overshooting it a bit.

The only hop variety i've ever read that shouldn't even be harvested the first year is Fuggles, and that may apply to commercial planting only (where perhaps they want the most healthy root-base as possible for future yields). Homebrewers who've grown fuggles can gladly come in here and correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Hops are a hardy perennial plant. They should do well in your environment as long as you don't have problems with the fungal diseases. Being a perennial plant they die back to the root each fall. Also like most perennials the root system will take several years to get established and be fully productive. The first year you will get a few bines and might get a couple oz of dried hops from each plant. In the fall the bine will die back to the ground and you can cut it off and mulch the plant to provide some additional winter protection.
The second year you will get much more vigorous growth and should get a good harvest, upto a pound or more per plant. At 3 years your plant should be mature and producing at maximum.

I have a very similar environment, maybe a little colder in north east Ohio. I planted Cascades, Centennial, Chinook and Willamette last year. The 3 Cs grew well and produced a small crop last year. This year they are starting very vigorously with dozens of shoots per plant. The Willamette grew well but did not produce. This year it looks healthy but is behind the others in number and size of the bines. I expect it is just not as productive as the C hops.

Craig

Fuggles is also very hardy. If you ever see feral hops, they are probably Fuggles. My neighbor's grandfather grew hops back in the 1880's and there are still plants around the edges of the farm.

If I can grow hops here in Maine, you should have no problem down your way. They're actually kind of hard to kill. Someone planted some rhizomes next to one of our buildings a few years ago and they kept coming back even though we never mulched them or anything. Those are gone now, but I just planted six varieties in my own garden.

here's a link to a short and interesting article on enhancing the productivity of your hops. at the bottom there is some advice from Fedco Seeds for growing hops in new england. http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2008/Hops/tabid/906/Default.aspx

Good Luck

NoClueBrewMaster said:

what do you guys do in the winter? I thought that hop vines take 3+ years to mature. I don't know a lot about growing hops, which I why I came here, so excuse me if these questions seem a little "green"

If I were to cut the vines back to ground level and cover them, do they still yield hops every year?

Click to expand...

The bines die back to the ground every year anyway. I believe the 2-3 year time frame is to allow the root system to become established in the soil. During the first growing season, the roots are growing and spreading as well as the top growth and this takes energy that the plant would normally use for flowering and cone production. Once the root system is established, the plant can commit more resources to fruiting.

I am a first year grower myself so this just a guess.

My Kent Goldings and nugget bines are popping out of the ground as we type... a good four inches already... second year, so I'm hopeing for a good crop. So you should be good to go in Bean town... go for it!!