I decided to experiment with growing my own hops this year. After doing some research online I decided to try planting the hops in pots. From what I’ve read these things can take over your yard if you are not careful so I figure a pot would contain them. Also, I wasn’t quite sure where in the yard would be the best location for the plant and, since pots are portable, this seemed like the best plan.
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| First Spout |
I ordered the hops from Northern Brewer early in the year and they arrived in early-April. You don’t plant a hop from a seed but from a root cutting known as a rhizome. Turns out that hop plants have genders and if you get “male” plant seeds you won’t end up with any hops. So, by getting a rhizome you’re guaranteed to end up with hops. Northern Brewer has a minimum order of two rhizomes so I decided to try Cascades and Hallertau hops for some variety.
I waited until I was sure the frosts were over and planted the hops in late April or early May… I can’t quite recall when… and I the sprout popped out of the ground in mid-May.
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| Hops |
After a few weeks in their first location near the house I decided to move the pots to a sunnier spot. They didn’t do too much at first but really started taking off in late June and July. The Hallertau was the first out of the ground but seemed to slow down after that. Right now it’s probably only four feet tall and only has a few buds forming. On the opposite end of the spectrum the Cascade plant had a huge growth spurt in late July it and is now a good eight feet tall and has several dozen flowers. I think that one will be ready to harvest in another week or so. I’ll post an update after the harvest.
