Height for home growing

[ong]

So, last year my four year old hops pulled down the structure I had set up (which was 2" electrical conduit screwed to the sides of my shed, with a wire rope across the top).

This year I'm planning a new trellis, which will just be two freestanding 4x6" poles sunk 4' deep, with a wire rope across the top (and possibly guy wires to keep them stable).

My concern is about height, since I live in a fairly dense neighborhood. I've been planning to go 16' high, to get a good yield, but I'm a little worried about safety should they get blown over. How much will I compromise yield if I go to a 12' high structure? For reference, I collected about 7 lbs. dry weight last year, which is honestly a lot more than I need.

 

[thaymond]

@Ong, I had a similar problem, and solved it with a helix.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=474201

My hops couldn't be visible from over my fence, which is a sucky requirement of the HOA. Solved this using a helical trellis design and compacted 30+ feet of growth into 6 feet of vertical height. The designs are in the link, should you be interested. I do not see any I'll effects of not growing vertically, and I'll yield roughly a pound per plant out of both year 1 and year 2. I'm trying different soil amendments this year to up my yields.

Peruse through, and maybe it will inspire an idea. It may solve a height and safety problem in your neighborhood.

 

[Hanglow]

You could also look into dwarf hops like First Gold (also called Prima Donna) Boadicia, Pioneer and Endeavor (although this one is rather new so may not be available) . I think they are about 10foot to 12 foot high

ALthough that would mean starting again and you may not like them

 

[JosephN]

@Ong, I had a similar problem, and solved it with a helix.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=474201

My hops couldn't be visible from over my fence, which is a sucky requirement of the HOA. Solved this using a helical trellis design and compacted 30+ feet of growth into 6 feet of vertical height. The designs are in the link, should you be interested. I do not see any I'll effects of not growing vertically, and I'll yield roughly a pound per plant out of both year 1 and year 2. I'm trying different soil amendments this year to up my yields.

Peruse through, and maybe it will inspire an idea. It may solve a height and safety problem in your neighborhood.

Those plants looks amazing to me. Great job