Container Growing

[jkbachman]

All things being equal, I would rather plant my hops in the ground. However, due to constraints with renting a duplex, having a typical garden isn't feasible. I have 4 planters right now and they are approximately 10-12" in diameter. The hops are growing fine, but clearly I need to work out a more permanent place for them. What could I use as a trellis replacement? Here are a couple of pics of what I have going on right now. Also, since this is my first time planting hops, what can I expect in terms of yield? Do I need to replant them every spring or will the roots keep during the winter?

 

[uechikid]

The first year is all about getting the roots established. You might get an ounce or two. It looks like your plants are doing well. They need to grow up or out. You might think about putting the pots on the ground and letting the bines grow up and along the rail of the deck. The pots you have chosen will work for this season but you will need large ones in the future. I use half wine barrels.

 

[coypoo]

You might think about putting the pots on the ground and letting the bines grow up and along the rail of the deck.

This was the first thing I thought of when I saw your pictures. You can add something to add some additional height to your deck and you'll have a lot of height for them to climb which is good.

 

[bobbrews]

They will grow well without transplanting as long as your soil mix is airy, well-draining, and designed for long-term growth. You don't want it to be too compact, deteriorate over time, or retain tons of moisture. With container plants, I've had great results with this base and a focused, weakly/weekly synthetic fertilizer regimen like 12-4-8 Osmocote time release, plus something else with all of the minor nutrients:

http://www.etenix.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=6

If it were me, I would have grown them in containers at least 3 times that size and bought a couple cages or trellis systems... instead of using individual bamboo sticks and twine, which can be quite the headache.

 

[firebirdude]

Do what I did. I made a large "bird's foot" or Y-shaped trellis out of cheap dowel rods. Basically, one rod straight up, one rod off the each side, and one rod horizontal to add strength. Now the plants can really bush out at least 3 feet wide.

Used a staple gun and some wood glue. Took 15 minutes to make both. Simple. Cheap. Effective.