Growing hops in my area

Hey guy been messing with the idea of growing hops this year and got a couple questions.

1. Any one grow hops in the new york area?
2. I dont have a yard that i can grow hops in but been reading alot about grown in pots
3. Does anyone here grow in pot and if so and tips for me
4. Is it even possible for me to grow in the ny area

Sorry for alot of question just would really would like to grow hops this year, And trying to get as much info as i can .
Thanks

yes, NYC is a fine enviro for hops. people have grown them in georgia and in canada - so NY will do just fine.

what sort of a space do you have? a balcony? rooftop? be aware that hops like to climb and will grow long. they are not a small plant. let us know about your space and maybe we'll have more precise info for you.

I have access to a yard that i can use some part of but i cant dig any holes so i would have to use pots and i guess need to make a rig of some kind for the hops to grow on.

Yeah, you'll need something for them to climb. The first summer alone, some varieties can stretch 20-30'. The easiest solution is usually to run a few cords of heavy twine from your plant site up to a roof eave or balcony railing. Trellises and arbors are very nice, but hops can be happy with a clothesline (the bines will coil around supports and have fine "hairs" to catch on things). You'll want to train about 3 bines per rhizome/crown (i.e. per plant) and trim the rest - although they could be intertwined up one rope, they'll usually produce more given the extra space of each bine with its own support. The truly important thing is that the "growing tips" continue to be training upwards by at least a little bit - the long tips starting to hang downward unsupported can trigger the plant to flower early (generally undesired).

NY state was once one of the top hop-producing areas of the country, so your climate should be great. My hops were quite happy in containers on my porch here in NH. Last summer was my first year with them - in 30"dia. x 24" high pots. I tried three varieties (I'd recommend looking into which you want and would do well in your area) - Fuggle, Willamette, and Cascade. Fuggle and Willamette are almost like British and American siblings, so I was curious to compare. Fuggle was very prolific and a fast grower, but succumbed to something and lost most of its bines halfway through the summer (although new growth had almost caught up to the other by the end of the summer. Willamette grew slowly and delicately, a very ornamental plant, very cooperative with training, but ultimately stayed just that - thin, delicate, and ornamental. Neither yielded so much as a single cone last summer - but then, you really shouldn't expect much the first season - it's mostly going into root growth. As much as my earthy-woodsy hop choices were disappointing, my "safety" selection, Cascade, was just beautiful. She started a little later, but quickly turned into a wild, almost-untrainable, cone-laden wonder. (You can see pics on my site at Dark Brood Homebrewery. I have the containers against the side of the house under some insulation and hope to transplant them into the wooden half-keg style planters this spring.

Remember that it takes almost 3 years for a new hop plant to get fully established, so you'll need BIG containers by then!

Hops were originally grown in NY as the major supplier in the US. The climate works well for growing hops. Southern exposure is best, but eastern or western exposure will work. Use large pots (minimum 5 gallon bucket size). Just find a way to string a rope/twine to a high point - an eyelet or pulley at the top is best for raising and lowering the hop bines (3 bines per rope).

Great info i am for sure going to try to grow this year going to get four of the biggest pot i can fine and grow some hops. When would be the best time to plaint them?

After the danger of frost has past. They are hardy plants - mine have sprouted and easily survived temperature drops in the mid 20's fahrenheit. Most hop rhizome vendors tend to ship before it is time to plant, just store in your refrigerator or take your chances on availability and order just before planting time.

To help choose a variety: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/hops-comparison-table-297038/

thedude00 said:

Hey guy been messing with the idea of growing hops this year and got a couple questions.

[*]Any one grow hops in the new york area?
[*]I dont have a yard that i can grow hops in but been reading alot about grown in pots
[*]Does anyone here grow in pot and if so and tips for me
[*]Is it even possible for me to grow in the ny area


Sorry for alot of question just would really would like to grow hops this year, And trying to get as much info as i can .
Thanks

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I am growing this year, wny area. I am growing fuggle, centennial,cascade, and halauter. What does the soil characteristic for best growing, moisture, ph,etc...

Hops will grow in PH 5.5 - 8, 6.8 seems to be optimal. Need a well draining, fertile soil but able to hold moisture. I top dress with compost each year. Initially, before you plant, dig down at least a foot and 2 feet in diameter and amend the soil with compost and composted manure if you wish.

growinghops said:

Hops will grow in PH 5.5 - 8, 6.8 seems to be optimal. Need a well draining, fertile soil but able to hold moisture. I top dress with compost each year. Initially, before you plant, dig down at least a foot and 2 feet in diameter and amend the soil with compost and composted manure if you wish.

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Would it make sense to do a layer of small stone then a layer of sand then compose mixture with soil. I have an area that is pretty moist all year long due to a natural spring in my yard!

Yes it would. The hop crown / root stalk does not like to sit in standing water - it will kill the plant.

My hops were quite happy in a mix of 1/3 miracle grow and 2/3 peat moss with semi-regular fertilizing. The soil drained quite well - although there were times that a long hot spell would over-dry them if I forgot to water (I think that had something to do with the mid-season hit my Fuggles took).

I am up on a balcony on the 4th floor. Do hops like to grow downward? Up and over the balcony? It will look like the hanging gardens of Babylon. (I will bribe the tenants below with homebrew to keep them happy about the plants.)

No they do not like going down. They always try going up. if no support is available ive seen 3 bines use each other for support and make it 4ft off the ground heading up.

ed_brews_now said:

I am up on a balcony on the 4th floor. Do hops like to grow downward? Up and over the balcony? It will look like the hanging gardens of Babylon. (I will bribe the tenants below with homebrew to keep them happy about the plants.)

Click to expand...

If the "growing tips" are hanging significantly downward, it creates a chemical trigger within the plant that tells it there is no more room/time to grow and it's time to procreate (i.e. flower and bloom) and die. IOW, if your tips move too much downwards, your growth will stop and it will try to produce cones too early - if this happens before the bine is mature, the hops will be weak with poor flavor and aroma qualities ...possibly even off-flavors.

If you can successfully bribe your downstairs neighbors, the better bet would be to put the pots on their level and run lines up past yours as high as you can get. (If you got really creative, you could even run some watering tubes along the support lines...)

Fascinating.

Will they bind to a concrete wall. If I let them grow up, they can climb to my upstairs neighbours without twine or a trelis.

DarkBrood said:

If the "growing tips" are hanging significantly downward, it creates a chemical trigger within the plant that tells it there is no more room/time to grow and it's time to procreate (i.e. flower and bloom) and die. IOW, if your tips move too much downwards, your growth will stop and it will try to produce cones too early - if this happens before the bine is mature, the hops will be weak with poor flavor and aroma qualities ...possibly even off-flavors.

If you can successfully bribe your downstairs neighbors, the better bet would be to put the pots on their level and run lines up past yours as high as you can get. (If you got really creative, you could even run some watering tubes along the support lines...)

Click to expand...

ed_brews_now said:

Will they bind to a concrete wall. If I let them grow up, they can climb to my upstairs neighbours without twine or a trelis.

Click to expand...

they need something to wrap themselves around. they will not grow up a flat wall since there is nothing for them to grip on to. you'll need to run something up the wall: twine/wire, trellis, stick, etc.