Home-Brewer Specials
 |
 |
|
Farm Fresh News
September 9, 2011: All whole leaf hops are now crop 2011! More selections to come! (New crop pellets will begin shipping in Nov. / Dec. - all pellets currently crop 2010)
October 24, 2011: Crop 2011 Apollo, US Northern Brewer, and US Golding leaf hops have been added to the site!
December 7, 2011: We are now taking hop rhizome pre-orders for spring delivery, check em' out HERE!
Basic Hop Growing
By Blake W. Crosby
Growing hops in the garden is a fun and rewarding endeavor. Whether you are interested in hops for ornamental uses or for home-brewing purposes, this guide will help you produce a successful crop.
First, you will notice that your hop rhizomes are moist and packaged in a zip-lock bag. This is important for storage – I know many of you will not be planting your hops until April or even early May in some instances. The hops will keep well if they are stored in the fridge, ideally around 35 degrees or so. Remember to keep them moist and sealed in the bag so they do not dry out quickly.
When you are ready to plant, find a good, well-drained spot with full sun. This is important because to get maximum growth and yield the hop plant needs a healthy dose of UV light. Once you find your location, proceed to till the ground. It is a good idea to plow the planting area – I know this may sound like a daunting task, but for the home gardener all you need to do is turn the soil over with your shovel. At this point you will want to break down the open soil with whatever implements you have available so that you don’t have a bunch of clods. Lastly, dig a hole so that the rhizome will sit in it upright – with the white shoots pointed up toward the surface of the ground. Now cover your rhizome or rhizomes with approx. 1-2 inches of fine soil/mulch.
Now that you are planted you will want to care for your hop as you would any other living thing…feed it, water it, and let mother nature do the rest. A baby hop is not going to need as much water as an adult hop but don’t be lulled to complacency. Keep the soil moist but do not drench or drown the plant.
Hops have a diverse set of nutrient needs. Click here to find helpful information on hop nutrient needs.
Generally speaking it is important to offer the plant some nitrogen in late spring. It is at this point in the growing season that the plant really pulls a lot of N as it is making a big push for the sky and throwing arms. You can often tell if a plant is nitrogen deficient by its color – you want to strive for a rich dark green color…anything less and your plant is not at its best.
As for diseases, most of you will not face as much pressure as commercial growers. When you have a few hop plants in a non-hop growing region you are not going to have the disease activity found in yards with thousands of plants squeezed closed together in a valley with thousands of acres under trellis. In fact, most of you will likely be able to successfully grow your own ‘organic’ hops as a result. If you want more - check out www.usahops.org for helpful information on diseases and hop farming in general.
