Hops location in the yard

[bfish]

I need some help planting my first rhizome here in SE TN. I am in zone 7 (7b but really close to 8a) and in a valley, so during the growing season I get lots of fog and/or heavy dew. I say fog or heavy dew about 60% of the time during the grow season and persists for the first 4 hours of light.

I think I would like to grow in a muck bucket buried in the mulch bed next to the house, and then train the bines horizontally to grow along a fence. Yea, I know vertically is easier but it is almost 45 ft to my roof on that corner of the house (and this portly guy does not like getting on ladders above 15 ft).

My concern is fungus, as I have lost several ornamental bushes in the past 3 years (none that I have planted).

I have 25 feet of angled wooden fence then even more distance where the corner of the fence surrounds the utility shed (not drawn) and trailer storage area.

Any thoughts on variety to be resistant yet grow well with mostly only morning sun and trainable to grow horizontally? I am just starting my research but my first inclination is towards Nugget.

 

[feinbera]

No possible way you can move it into more direct afternoon sunlight? I do OK here in San Francisco which is known for its foggy climate, but I've got 'em growing up a West-facing balcony, which allows them to dry out in the afternoon sun.

 

[bfish]

West side would not get direct sunlight to later in the day (shaded by fence) and would stay wet from dew/fog several hours longer. East side would have the earliest drying in the day, but also have indirect light during the hottest part of the day. Keep in mind, my avg summer temps are about 20-25 degrees warmer than SF, plus a lot more humidity.

 

[Scotty_g]

You said that the west side would be shaded by the fence...can you move them to the other side of the fence? Or is that the neighbor's yard?

I have a fairly open yard (no fence) so I located a hop trellis away from other obstructions - they get good air circulation and plenty of sun, so they do pretty well (NE Wisconsin; zone 5...occasionally humid but not like TN!)

The most vigorous variety I have grown is Cascade...they seem really tough (weed guy killed the other two varieties back but just slowed the Cascades a little), put up the most plant, and yield the best. A friend of mine grew Nuggets against his house facing south, and they did well, but his Sterlings (planted right next) did better.

 

[bfish]

You said that the west side would be shaded by the fence...can you move them to the other side of the fence? Or is that the neighbor's yard?....

The other side is already full of large (8 ft round) bushes.

hmm Sterling, I will take a look at them.

 

[bfish]

Didn't get this done last year. Still thinking about the same spot. Thinking one Canadian Red Vine and either a Cascade or a Nugget.

 

[Dcpcooks]

It's always sunny by a hop harvest