Container Hops in Colorado

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Kungpaodog

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I rent so I don't have the luxury of turning half of my back yard into a hop garden, but I am willing to try the container hops growing method in the last issue of BYO magazine.

As long as I'm not too late to find them, I am thinking of one Cascade and one Magnum or a Mt. Hood. I think these types should do well in Colorado.

Has anyone tried this that might give me any tips?

Anyone with dogs grow their own hops? (I can't believe I brought that up:eek:) I have read all the other stuff about dogs and hops, and please don't debate that here, I just want to know if anyone grows hops with dogs and has any other ideas pertaining to the two. I think a small wire fence in the container will keep mine from digging up the plants, but any other thoughts are appreciated.
 
i've got a cascade, a fuggles, and 2 small goldings (i only ordered 1) in containers on my rooftop deck here in chicago.

I found some 20" pots at Home Depot for $10 a piece, and planted them yesterday.

I've read through the BYO article and the forums here, and it seems like it should work out...with the extra care needed that comes container gardening in general.

I think you just want to maximize your exposure to the sun. I'm guessing that in Colorado it won't be enough to really burn them like it might be in warmer, more southern areas.
 
The LHBS was out of cascade, so I picked up a Willamette and a Zeus. I thought a bittering hop and an aroma hop would compliment each other. Each one got a 24" pot with 2.5 cubic feet of potting soil, each with an adjustable rope to grow up. Now it might be snowing this weekend. D'oh! At least my hops can begin growing in true Colorado weather.

What have some of you done to keep your dogs out of your hops?
 
Hops in Colorado generally don't do too well on the plains Too much light/heat and not enough water. They do seem to like the hills.

Good luck with your efforts. I tried a couple of years in Littleton with very little success.
 
So far, mine are doing fine but I suspect the summer dry heat will present a challenge.
 
I never had an issue and I used to live in Littleton. Water is the key.

Amen. The Yakima Valley in Washington and the Treasure Valley in Idaho are commercial hop growing areas. Both are high desert climates which get very little rain during the summer. I grow in Idaho and I water my plants deeply once a week. Sometimes an additional watering during the week in July and August. Seems unlikely that hops would not grow well in Colorado if they had enough water.
 
I simply read the directions in the BYO and when we're not getting any rain...or snow like we are now, my pots do dry out in a day. I'm pretty quick to water daily. I'll also state that mulching your pots should make a dramatic difference in it's ability to retain moisture. So don't over look the importance of tossing something over the soil. I like grass clippings without pesticides or poisons.

We all know they don't like to be water logged so a simple finger check on the soil will tell you how they're doing.

While off topic, I had some 1st year magnums pump out several ounces of gigantic cones last year by August. Colorado is excellent growing weather for Hops. (These were not in pots)
 
Thanks for the tip on mulch to retain water. Most of the info that I've found seems to indicate that hops do very well in Colorado, so I'm hopeful. See the CSU hops farm project and Papazian for examples.

I think my anemic container tomatoes last year were a result of bad plants to start with, bad soil and not enough water during the hottest days. I think I've learned enough about container gardening this winter that I should have better luck this season. I hope to have some decent hops, and as a nice side effect better tomatoes!
 
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