Best hops for Boston area?

[Bluechicken]

I'm planning on planting a few hops rhizomes this spring, and live in the Boston, MA area. My local supply store is selling the following varieties:

Cascade, Chinook, Kent Golding, Mt. Hood, Nugget, Sterling and Williamette.

I'm a beer brewing novice, and was wondering if anyone was familiar with these hops and might recommend one or two over the others.

Thanks

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Cascade grows pretty much anywhere, so I'm sure it will become a staple in your garden. The yield alone makes it well worth it.

As for another two...Nugget is a good grower, and the two years I grew Willamette, it worked out fairly well. I'm not in Boston, but hops aren't very picky about where they grow. As long as you have 120-150 frost-free days, you'll get hops.

Stay away from Mt. Hood and K.G. Those two are fairly tough to grow unless you have a little experience and a green thumb. My Mt. Hood is in it's third year and I'm still having trouble getting more than a few ounces out of it.

 

[babalu87]

Cascades grow well here
My Mt Hoods do well but I have a bit of a green thumb.
Fuggles do OK but the flowers are pretty small, might gun those and put another type in their place

Getting CTZ this Spring

 

[dcp27]

Cascades grow well here
My Mt Hoods do well but I have a bit of a green thumb.
Fuggles do OK but the flowers are pretty small, might gun those and put another type in their place

Getting CTZ this Spring

Awesome, I was just considering this when I learned a nearby place was selling the rhizomes (beer & wine hobby bluechicken?). Does it take much work to get them going around here babalu? I'm thinking nugget, cascade, and/or chinook if that helps.

 

[Bluechicken]

Beer & Wine Hobby indeed (http://www.beer-wine.com). They're taking orders now, I wasn't sure which ones to try.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll probably go with Cascade and Nugget.

 

[babalu87]

Awesome, I was just considering this when I learned a nearby place was selling the rhizomes (beer & wine hobby bluechicken?). Does it take much work to get them going around here babalu? I'm thinking nugget, cascade, and/or chinook if that helps.

Things hops need to flourish are full Southern exposure or at least as close as you can get.
Well drained soil, I'd suggest putting new plants on little hill to ensure good drainage.
Plenty of watering early in life.
Peat moss a little sand an manure mixed in the soil.

 

[Bluechicken]

This link also has good tips: http://www.beer-wine.com/node/1772

 

[dcp27]

So being in Medford I don't have much of a yard, and there's probably only a 5'x7' or so plot open (there's a few bushes in the little other area I have). From that link, it sounds a little close, but do you think that is big enough for two varieties?

edit: if not, would there be any problem growing hops amongst the bushes?

 

[Bluechicken]

I'd say go for it - they're only $5-6 each, and if the area they climb gets sun, that should help. (I'm not expert on hops, though I do garden every year).

It'd be fun to try, at least.

 

[rwinzing]

I can't wait I have nine rhizomes on order

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

So being in Medford I don't have much of a yard, and there's probably only a 5'x7' or so plot open (there's a few bushes in the little other area I have). From that link, it sounds a little close, but do you think that is big enough for two varieties?

edit: if not, would there be any problem growing hops amongst the bushes?

Plant them at LEAST 3' apart...I'd suggest 5' if you can do it. The first year I planted hops, I only spaced them two feet apart. The harvesting alone was painful. I couldn't tell which hops were what because the vines had tangled with eachother so much. I ended up just throwing all of my hops in a mixed bucket and I used them for stouts and porters only since you wouldn't taste them much anyways.

Not only was the harvesting bad, but after the second year I decided to prune the roots. When I pulled them up they were incredibly tangled. What should have been a 20 minute job ended up taking me the better portion of a saturday.