Growing hops near tomatoes.

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GilaMinumBeer

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Anyone read that you shouldn't grow tomatoes in the same plot or vicinity as your hops? Anyone tried and had issues?

I read this somewhere but can't find it now.
 
If I find the rhizomes I want I am planning to talk to the folks who organically grow the closest living relative to hops. And pretty much do what they do, right up to the smoking it part.

Might check High Times mag if you don't know enough crunchies.
 
Got my hops about 6 feet away from some tomatoes, the hops seem fine, tomatoes didn't do so well this season, but from what I've heard everyone around here has had a crap tomato season.
 
denimglen said:
Got my hops about 6 feet away from some tomatoes, the hops seem fine, tomatoes didn't do so well this season, but from what I've heard everyone around here has had a crap tomato season.

My tomatoes were in overdrive this year. Of course being a native of South Jersey, I think it's in my blood. :p

I've never heard of not planting peppers near tomatoes. I do it all the time!
 
karbinator said:
Any idea when Rhizomes will be for sale? I have the area's cut out for them, but couldn't find anyone selling them yet.

Some time in March I think around the middle of the month.
 
abracadabra said:
Some time in March I think around the middle of the month.


Can they be stored in some way for extended periods? I'd like to buy some this year, but I wouldn't be able to plant them until July or August at the earliest.
 
max4677 said:
Can they be stored in some way for extended periods? I'd like to buy some this year, but I wouldn't be able to plant them until July or August at the earliest.

They can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in a moist towel. But I am not sure they should be stored for that long.

If I were you I'd plant them in buckets. The first year is generally a focus on the root system. Although they can produce some , not too useful, cones that year and they will create a near typical bine.
 
First year, they'd be fine in containers.

Freshops starts taking orders on March 20th. Some places take orders earlier, but will still be delivering in March/April.
 
So you shouldn't expect a actual yield your first year?

bigjohnmilford- What exactly did the simpsons tamacco have to do with growing hops?
 
IrregularPulse said:
So you shouldn't expect a actual yield your first year?

bigjohnmilford- What exactly did the simpsons tamacco have to do with growing hops?

My first year Cascades yielded 8 ounces of dried cones. I threw them out regardless as I assumed there is no chance that the Alpha/Beta content was worth anything. Mostly I just used them to twaek my drying process.

The 2 other first year plants didn't "fruit" at all.
 
I've harvested about 200gm of wet hops off my cascade already, there's at least another 200gm on the plant still waiting to 'ripen'. But apparently most plants don't yield the first season.

They smell like cascade so far (not as strong as I think they should though) and have a decent amount of yellow resins in them. I'm still gonna use them, probably just for a massive late kettle addition in an APA or something.
 
I was going to call BS on you denimglen, but then I saw you were in New Zealand. Blast you people and your southern hemisphere! :p

homegrown hops are best used for flavor and aroma since bittering can vary wildly, and unless you have the hops sent to a lab the IBU's are unknown. So yea, using them in a late addition is best.
 
EvilTOJ said:
homegrown hops are best used for flavor and aroma since bittering can vary wildly, and unless you have the hops sent to a lab the IBU's are unknown. So yea, using them in a late addition is best.

Good tip to know. I plan on convincing the wife tonight. It just so happened that best area of the house to grow them is also the main displaying corner of our house so I'm gonna have to come up with some "pretty" Tressel Design.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
My first year Cascades yielded 8 ounces of dried cones. I threw them out regardless as I assumed there is no chance that the Alpha/Beta content was worth anything. Mostly I just used them to twaek my drying process.

The 2 other first year plants didn't "fruit" at all.

I wonder if Alton Brown's method of making jerky would work for drying hops...

For those unfamiliar with his way for doing it, it's basically as follows:

Get a new box fan and 2 or 3 paper furnace filters (with the W shaped folds not the really cheapie ones) that approximate the size of the fan. Then lay out the hops in the grooves of the filter. Attach them to the fan and let it run until the hops are dried.

What do you guys think?
 
If I find the rhizomes I want I am planning to talk to the folks who organically grow the closest living relative to hops. And pretty much do what they do, right up to the smoking it part.

It has been said that Humulus *****us can actually be grafted onto the root system of its only near relative, thereby masking the appearance, but still packing the punch if you know what I mean.

Apparently it cannot be grafted the other way around though.
 
dpt222 said:
It has been said that Humulus *****us can actually be grafted onto the root system of its only near relative, thereby masking the appearance, but still packing the punch if you know what I mean.

Apparently it cannot be grafted the other way around though.

That is f'ing crazy...really?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dpt222
It has been said that Humulus *****us can actually be grafted onto the root system of its only near relative, thereby masking the appearance, but still packing the punch if you know what I mean.

Apparently it cannot be grafted the other way around though.

That is f'ing crazy...really?
02-24-2008 06:06 PM

I don't know if it's actually true but I remember reading about it a long ways back. Basically it will look like hops, but supposedly contain the active compounds of its nearest relative. I bet grafting of any nature is a fairly tricky endeavor. Why don't you give it a try and report back...;)
 
I know exactly what you are talking about (grafting, that is). I did a lot of reading on that. I've heard varying reports saying that it works or doesn't work. Apparently,hops will have no problem grafting onto its close cousin, but it is still a hops plant (with no assimilated attributes from the relative plant).

The only benefits that I can see from this is that hops have a weak root system compared to the cousin plant, so if you graft a hop bine onto the root system of the other plant you should have higher first year yields, earlier in the season. Unfortunately, the two separate plants keep their respective DNA structures and function in a symbiotic relationship--the bines collecting the sun's rays and the roots collecting water and other nutrients.

Farmers do this all the time with apple trees because it is faster than starting from seed.

The only way I think you can achieve the affect you are looking for is through cross-pollination. That is the only way to really change the DNA. Unfortunately, most hop plants (as well as the cousin) are sterile clones that do not produce seeds. Even if you were able to find both species of fertile plants, they are still two different species and there is no guarantee that cross-pollination would work. If it did, you might spend years getting the results you want. Do a little research on Mendelian genetics.
 
I have always grown tomatoes and peppers together and never had any issues. Likewise with hops. Mine were within 10 feet of my nightshades last year and nary a problem.

Chris_Dog said:
I know you aren't supposed to grow any nightshade plants together (tomatoes and peppers). I don't have any idea if hops are considered nighshade plants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae
 
dpt222 said:
I don't know if it's actually true but I remember reading about it a long ways back. Basically it will look like hops, but supposedly contain the active compounds of its nearest relative. I bet grafting of any nature is a fairly tricky endeavor. Why don't you give it a try and report back...;)


I have heard this too, but from my research the only benefit may be hiding the cousin from Johnny Law and your neighbors. If you are looking to hybridize the two-not gonna happen for the same reasons explained below. The easiest way to marry these "kissin' cousins" is to dry "hop" with the illegitimate cousin. If you are interested, an old friend (fiend) followed this article: http://www.onr.com/user/liberty/Marijuana/MBeer/MBeer.html
 
max4677 said:
I've never heard of not planting peppers near tomatoes. I do it all the time!

+1 I have had the two growing in abundance on my back deck in containers, every square inch of the railing covered in containers in fact, and never a problem.
 
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