Growing hops

[wannabebrewmaster]

Would like to start growing my own hops. I have found many place online that sell the rhizomes...is there a specific type(s) of hops a that will grow well here in Ohio? Is there specific needs for growing hops such as amount of sunshine per day, type of soil, etc...

 

[pmzjr69]

How about up and east from Ohio, in Mass, Which Hops are best to grow?

 

[beerloaf]

I grow 7 different varieties of hops currently, soon to be 9. Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Hallertau, Northern Brewer, EKG, Mt Hood, and 2 more soon, Saaz and Fuggle.

Cascade, Chinook, Hallertau, Centennial, EKG all did well here. Mt Hood and NB struggled and didn't even produce at all last year. (those were 1st year plants.)

What hops need is around 6-8 hours sun light/day. South facing preferred. Lots of water and good drainage, but don't drown them or they wll rot. Space them 3 ft apart if they are similar breeds and 5 ft if not. They like to grow vertical but you can train them sideways or on fencing etc. Remember that some varieties will grow up to 30 ft if they can. My Chinook got to 23 the 1st year. They like lots of manure. I put cow manure on every plant once/ month during growing season. I prefer the one from Lowes vs HD due to no smell. 1st year plants also got liquid miracle grow. Check out the hop growing forums for more info.

Welcome to the forums!


beerloaf

 

[MrSpiffy]

You might get more responses if you post this in the Hop Growing section. The Introductions section is really more for saying hi and letting us know a bit about yourself.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I grow hops here in Indiana, so I'm sure you'll be fine in Ohio. They are full sun plants so give them as much sun as possible. Southern exposure is good. I grow Cascade, Centennial and CTZ. You want to plant them in an area with good drainage. If that is a problem, you can plant them in raised mounds of soil.

 

[wannabebrewmaster]

You might get more responses if you post this in the Hop Growing section. The Introductions section is really more for saying hi and letting us know a bit about yourself.

Thanks for the suggestion. I am so new to this site that I didn't even know there was a hop growing section.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

How about up and east from Ohio, in Mass, Which Hops are best to grow?

I'm in MA, and I have Cascade, Chinook, Hallertau, and Saaz. All but the Hallertau do very well here. All are starting their 4th year this year.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am so new to this site that I didn't even know there was a hop growing section.

No worries! There are a LOT of different areas to browse through, so it's easy to miss.