Looking for a good Hop to grow

[Stile2]

So, I have the best wife in the whole world, she is very interested in growing Hops for my brewing and she is a rockin' gardener!!!

Being new at this brewing thing, I like Porters, Darker Ales, some Pale Ales, mainly, probably want to brew some Stouts, and Lagers as well.

Would Cascade be a good Hops to grow? Or are there others that would be better suited as a general kind of Hops?

Thanks
Keith

 

[WCD]

Fuggles or Cascades seem to be coming up in my last 2 recipes which were an Amercan style amber and Brown. Seems like a cool idea so wanted to show some support. Good Luck!

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Cascade is a good type of hop to use for just about any american style beer, in my opinion. I grow them and tend to use them a lot. Plus, they're extremely forgiving for new hop farmers.

 

[2morrow]

Agreed of the 5 different types I have, the Cascades consistently out perform the others. They also for whatever reason do not get hit by the bugs as bad as the others.

 

[stratslinger]

I'm toying with this same idea myself. How large a crop do you need to grow in order to harvest enough for a couple batches? How much space in the yard would I need to set aside?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I'm toying with this same idea myself. How large a crop do you need to grow in order to harvest enough for a couple batches? How much space in the yard would I need to set aside?

One rhizome will eventually put out enough to last you more than a few batches. It takes up about a 5'x5' plot of ground but can go a little smaller if needed. They need about 20' of upward growing room.

The first year, you should have enough hops to do two or three batches with...depending on how they do.

 

[GVH_Dan]

For our commercial yard, we plant them 3 feet apart. You could go a little closer if you have to, but the concern is if you plant different varieties, even at 3 feet they will start to reach across to the other twines. Once they mix together, you'll never keep the varieties straight.

As previously mentioned, height is a bigger concern. Try to give them at least 15 feet to stretch out, 20 is better. Anything shorter will cut into the productivity of the plant.

 

[stratslinger]

Wow - and I assume you need a trellace of some sort to support them? Guess that rules that out for my yard - the only spots where trees or power lines wouldn't cause a problem would leave the plants right out in the open for neighbors to potentially complain about. Maybe I can work something out with my father-in-law though... Thanks for the info!

 

[GVH_Dan]

You can grow them shorter, just don't expect as much production. Also expect them to do a lot more reaching to the side looking for a place to grow...which then cuts down on how close you can plant different varieties.

Don't give up hope. Do like my buddy did. His neighborhood said no fences over 6 foot. Instead he put up 12 foot trellis and packed in a bunch of cascades. He told the neighbors it was a natural sun shade for his deck, which wasn't against the homeowner association's rules. Its still there.

 

[growinghops]

Cascade is a great all around hop. It's hardy, prolific producer, disease resistant good aroma hop, light bittering hop... Plant 3 feet apart unless different varieties then plant 5+ feet apart (so they don't mingle). They will take what you give them to grow on - from a 4 foot cyclone fence to a 25 foot tall rope.

Types of hops