Growing Hops
- Thread starter sok454
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jeepinjeepin
Well-Known Member
sok454 said:
Yup. Plant them after the last frost. They need some sort of rope/twine/trellis to climb. Plan on at least 12-15'.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/
Here is the entire Hops forum you can review as well as all the stickies
I found most, if not all my answers to my questions when I first started, lots of info and pictures of tasty looking hops!
Here is the entire Hops forum you can review as well as all the stickies
I found most, if not all my answers to my questions when I first started, lots of info and pictures of tasty looking hops!No worries, but if you try to focus your questions in the appropriate areas you are more apt to get what you need sooner and the stickies in each forum are very helpful so always look through those first!
First year harvest will depend on a lot of factors. I had a 1st year harvest on my Chinook and Centennial but not much else with substantial quantity the first year. I grow 9 different varieties and just about all of them had a harvest this year. Even my 1st year Saaz which normally does not do well here. All of my other plants are 2+ years old and did well. The Chinook plant produced 3 times as much as it did last year, with almost 3 lbs of wet fresh hops. Hops are like weeds, they grow crazy under the right circumstances. I grow, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Hallertau, Northern Brewer, East Kent Golding, Fuggle, Saaz, and Mt Hood. Also just and FYI, my Chinook and Centennial grow to around 22-23 feet high for the past 2 years. A lot of the others average at 15 ft. The Mt hood went to 20 ft. I just cut them all down after our first frost.
beerloaf
beerloaf
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
Im debating doing it the next growing season, the problem is after harvesting some from a friends archway i seriously have to wonder if its worth the hassle, atleast living here in Oregon.
Fresh whole leaf hops from the local brew shops are between $1-2 per oz, depending on variety. After everything, in about 8 hours total work, about 4 hours picking, and 4 hours sorting/cleaning/laying on screen/weighing/vacuum sealing, i ended up with i think 14-16oz of dried hops.
That puts it at about 32 dollars worth of hops in 8 hours work, or about $4 an hour....dont get me wrong it was fun. But im not exactly saving money, and thats not even factoring in the cost of vacuum seal bags, which are ridiculously expensive.
Fresh whole leaf hops from the local brew shops are between $1-2 per oz, depending on variety. After everything, in about 8 hours total work, about 4 hours picking, and 4 hours sorting/cleaning/laying on screen/weighing/vacuum sealing, i ended up with i think 14-16oz of dried hops.
That puts it at about 32 dollars worth of hops in 8 hours work, or about $4 an hour....dont get me wrong it was fun. But im not exactly saving money, and thats not even factoring in the cost of vacuum seal bags, which are ridiculously expensive.
growinghops
Well-Known Member
You are right. Picking hops by hand is a pain and time consuming. While hops are cheap now, they haven't always been - there have been shortages too. It is more of a do it yourself satisfaction thing and knowing what if any chemicals were used. Hops also make a great cover for arbors, pergolas and privacy fences, sleep pillows and wreaths.
Around here average hops prices are around $3-$4 /oz or more, if they even have what you're looking for. Some are fairly hard to find. This is one of the reasons I grow my own. I also know what goes into them. I can truly say that they are organic and natural. In reality I still order in bulk by the lb and thats really where the savings are.
beerloaf
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
Yea i can understand that being so far from any real source of hops. I still kind of want to do it just because, so i probably will.
But this time ill get more hands to help me pick faster, ill supply beer to get 2-3 people over to speed things up lol.
But this time ill get more hands to help me pick faster, ill supply beer to get 2-3 people over to speed things up lol.
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