I just received an e-mail from Willingham Nurseries to say the Rhizomes will be ready soon. I was pretty excited about the prospect of growing my own Hops earlier in the spring with an idea that i'd have it all sorted in time if I put it on the backburner until now. The time has come to prepare and I have no idea how I'm going to support these things or plant them.
I need to plant them in well draining soil. I know for a fact that my soil is not well draining. Was curious if anyone had any experience with hops and whether I could dig a pit and fill it with sand down deep for drainage and therefore make a suitable habitat for my offspring.
Also I was planning on getting lengths of 20mm Conduit I use at work in 3M lengths and tying them together in a Teepee fashion at the top to grow them upwards on a string. Anyone have any better/easier ideas?
It also mentions they need to be sheltered from high winds. Cornwall is pretty windy. Does anyone have any success growing them in the open? My garden is pretty surrounded by a fence/trees and a house but it will get some pretty strong winds blowing at it.
Are there hop varieties that are easier to grow than others? I'd like to grow Saaz and an english hop. Something versatile. It's all going to be experimentation due to not knowing the alpha acids, so I don't want an 'out there' hop that will impact massively if I get it wrong.
I'm also aware that hops grow as weeds to therefore can't be 'that' hard, however...i've never seen a hop plant in the wild in Cornwall.
Cheers guys
Belter
Hop Growing
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Crispy Hedgehog
Re: Hop Growing
now i'm no expert, but do know, through reading the forums (especially hop growing 2012 thread on here) is well worth it.
I would think about ground preparation and where you want to grow them. Research the variety you want to grow. Some will grow in excess of 5 metres but there are dwarf/hedge varieties than can grown half that size. Ground need to be well drained, but also well mulched and preparation now will help when time comes to plant later in the year/early next year. To aid soil drainage dig over your proposed growing area and add some fine grit (not sand - as this will just bind with the clay already in your soil), dig this thoroughly and it will help with drainage. Mulch and add a good helping of organic well rotted manure, mix this all in the area you want to grow in and leave it to the elements. This will provide the rhizomes the best soil conditions for spring growth.
Read the hop growing 2012 thread as there are some good ideas for supporting and growing hops.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
I would think about ground preparation and where you want to grow them. Research the variety you want to grow. Some will grow in excess of 5 metres but there are dwarf/hedge varieties than can grown half that size. Ground need to be well drained, but also well mulched and preparation now will help when time comes to plant later in the year/early next year. To aid soil drainage dig over your proposed growing area and add some fine grit (not sand - as this will just bind with the clay already in your soil), dig this thoroughly and it will help with drainage. Mulch and add a good helping of organic well rotted manure, mix this all in the area you want to grow in and leave it to the elements. This will provide the rhizomes the best soil conditions for spring growth.
Read the hop growing 2012 thread as there are some good ideas for supporting and growing hops.
Best of luck and keep us posted.