Hops are a gorgeous plant to behold; with vines that grow vertically creating a cascading curtain of shade and beauty to any yard.
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| 10/20/12 These vines are just past their prime! |
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| Fresh hop harvest 9/30/12 |
I didn't know what to expect when John planted Willamette and Galena hops in the back yard earlier this year (Spring 2012) and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results, who would have thought, hops, the main ingredient in beer, that burp inducing, tough guy beverage would be such a lovely addition to my garden?
Hops grow from Rhizomes, a root cutting about 12 inches long. Hop Rhizomes come in several varieties (John used Willamette and Galena) bought at a Home Brew Supply store (also available online) here in USDA Gardening Zone 8b, A.K.A. Portland, Oregon.
Dig a trench 4" deep and roughly the length of the rhizome you are planting. Look for any whitish buds on the rhizome and position them skyward. If no buds are present look for roots and place them ground ward. The rhizome should be planted horizontally, not vertically. Cover and pack by hand with soil. Lightly water and introduce mulch if desired. Like varieties can be planted 2 -3’apart. Separate unlike varieties by l0' or more. http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-54334701386679/hoprhizomescaresheet.pdf
Hop Rhizomes planted in the Spring will rapidly become small hop vines in a sunny spot that gets plenty of water. Once you have small vines you can give them a structure to grow on. Hops like to climb and have little fingers called tendrils that grab on to
anything around them.
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| Tent Stake and Twine |
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| tent stake in ground between 2 vines |
John used 3 tent
stakes for six hop plants, two vines per tent stake. Place tent stakes in the ground so the hook end is exposed.
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| Lattice Awning |
One long piece of twine was started on the far end of lattice awning beam and then brought back down through
the tent stake loop, brought back up over the top of the lattice beam then
brought back down again to the next tent stake in position.
One may have to train ones hop vines to climb the twine for a few days, but they will catch on quickly (literally.)
Don't have a lattice awning? No problem, there are several ways to build a trellis for hops to grow on. Use a hefty rope or cable with metal pipe. (Please BE CAREFUL. Hope vines can grow to 25 feet and are very heavy!)
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| Hardware used to secure the apparatus below |
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| 10ft metal piping and hardware |
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| 10ft Metal pipe placed outside the fence on the far right. |
http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/montell.html
www.oregonhops.org/culture2.html
