Atalanta
Well-Known Member
As a local garden show asks, "Where are you calling from?" so I'll start with that. I'm in Lower Bucks County in Southeastern PA. We moved into a "new" house last year and I wanted to grow some hops to decorate the pergola that is just off our porch.
Down the street from us is a bar that has had great success growing hops to cover the archway into their outside dining area. Course I didn't consider that they have as much sun as we do not.
I bought some Sterling hop rhizomes from a local homebrew shop this past spring. I put one each into a half barrel planter. The planters were filled with soil, peat moss, mushroom soil and compost. They were planted with the green bits sticking up and about an inch of dirt over top.
One planter, I think the rhizome was dug up because when I went to dig it up (to see if it had died) I couldn't find it. That planter did grow mushrooms. The other planter did grow a hops plant, but it didn't get much above a foot tall and was spindly.
Our house is surrounded by trees, lots of black walnut (which we plan to harvest this fall), so not a lot of sun. What sun it does get is in the afternoon from when it passes the house until it sets.
My herbs didn't fare much better, the rosemary is fine, as was the tarragon (until the squirrels got it), but the basil didn't even try.
I read on other posts about a variety called "Sunshine?" I didn't see it in the hops list from last year (its still posted on Keystone Homebrew's site). I also read there was some success with "Cascade" which I think was on the list.
Should I try a different variety next year? Should I just give in and plant something else in those planters (they probably weigh about 100lbs with all the stuff in them).
Thanks!
Down the street from us is a bar that has had great success growing hops to cover the archway into their outside dining area. Course I didn't consider that they have as much sun as we do not.
I bought some Sterling hop rhizomes from a local homebrew shop this past spring. I put one each into a half barrel planter. The planters were filled with soil, peat moss, mushroom soil and compost. They were planted with the green bits sticking up and about an inch of dirt over top.
One planter, I think the rhizome was dug up because when I went to dig it up (to see if it had died) I couldn't find it. That planter did grow mushrooms. The other planter did grow a hops plant, but it didn't get much above a foot tall and was spindly.
Our house is surrounded by trees, lots of black walnut (which we plan to harvest this fall), so not a lot of sun. What sun it does get is in the afternoon from when it passes the house until it sets.
My herbs didn't fare much better, the rosemary is fine, as was the tarragon (until the squirrels got it), but the basil didn't even try.
I read on other posts about a variety called "Sunshine?" I didn't see it in the hops list from last year (its still posted on Keystone Homebrew's site). I also read there was some success with "Cascade" which I think was on the list.
Should I try a different variety next year? Should I just give in and plant something else in those planters (they probably weigh about 100lbs with all the stuff in them).
Thanks!