Any one experience with growing hops?

jonewer

lostinrates wrote: »

Well, I can buy something being sold as cascade from a few sources on line.


Vigorous couldn't be better, and I think buy growing in big troughs we're coing to control invasive ness. Self seeding we'll watch out for, but its an area that (should ) be swept regularly. Certainly ATM they'd be plenty of stuff for something self sown to get its feet into. :o

I suppose if I'm cslow to sweep but quick to pot up anything self sown could be gate sale fodder ( though won't be clear which variety it is I guess) or grown on for village plant sale....

Sorry I missed the bit where you said you will grow them in containers.

Where did you see cascade plants for sale?

Edit - Nevermind, found them!

lostinrates

Can I also ask ow many you grow and what sort of yield you get for our homebrewing?

jonewer

lostinrates wrote: »

Can I also ask ow many you grow and what sort of yield you get for our homebrewing?

I started with 4 - Fuggle, Golding, Phoenix, & Admiral. Two were starting to choke other shrubs in the garden so I dug out the golding and Admiral and put them in the allotment where they spent last year recovering (no yield).

The Fuggle is quite vigorous and yields about 500g dry weight* The Phoenix a bit less than half of this, being a much less vigorus plant. I find the cones to on the Phoenix to be more attractive from the cosmetic point of view.

I grow these over the railing of the deck outside my kitchen, the top of which is about 10 foot above the ground they are planted in. Even so I wind them through the railing and have to be carefull they dont grow to strongly up the drain pipe for fear of pulling it off the wall. They grow extremely fast - There is often a visible difference between morning and evening!

Pic taken early June so quite a bit of growing still to do. Fuggle on the left, Phoneix on the right.



There's lots of info on growing hops here:

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=2555

*An average homebrew batch is 20-odd litres which would typically require 50-100g dry weight of hops, although I have made brews that use a lot more!

lostinrates

Thank you.

That picture is really helpful, the most helpful I've seen in lots of web browsing on hops over a couple of years. . ( I like your decked area. What a lovely home )


We are growing over a large agricultural barn, so a don't thing space is the problem, other pictures showed clearly how to wire, but yours shows clearly how I can grow for the decorative impact I'm after and lose that building in summer at least!

lostinrates

Just to say we've ordered fuggles, cascade and Saaz.

We have from for two more comfortably, possibly more, we think, but we'll start with the three and see where that takes us over the next three years. Advice not to look at first years growth as it is understood so I will try and sit on my hands next season. I won't mind want varieties we get next, and I am guessing w might let our friend choose them for his endeavours.