My husband has ben learning to brew his own beer- its really good! Pinetree seed catalog offers hops to grow. Apparently they grow quite fast-up to 25 fet tall. We wanted a shade plant on the south side of our house in summer to shade the porches but that would die back in winter. This sounds perfect-however the soil there is really poor-nasty clay stuff. Has anyone grown hops? Do you know what soil conditions they take or if they can be container grown? Does anyone know how to dry and use home grown hops? Thanks.

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002

Answers

Hi Kelley,

I grew hops in South Dakota for exactly the same reasons that you want grow them. They were on the west side of the house and a single planting in two years completely covered the top and the west side of our back porch. The vine produced more hops than i culd ever use so I put an ad at the local brewing supply store and gave the rest away. You could probably sell them too as folks offered to pay for them. I usually just asked for a sample of their best brew. My soil there was kind of a sandy loam. It was well drained and I watered those vines fairly often in August to keep them from wilting and going dormant. It wasnot a problem at all though.

I have seen wild hops growing along railroad tracks and at the forest edge in Ohio. I planted some in more clay soil at another place where I lived and they grew fine too. I wasnot there long enough to report on their long term success.

I picked the hop clusters when they were green but open and beginning to dry. Their petals had the texture of parchament kind of or tissue paper. I put them on screens in the shade during the dry of the day and I put them inside at night so the dew when there was any would not moisten them. They were green like well made hay when they were dry. Little drops of resin were on the petals and when you crumbled them in your hand they were kind of sticky. I put them in zip lock bags usually and froze them when there was plenty of room in the freezer. At times, I would crush them and pack them into baggies. That worked ok too. Using fresh hops in the brew was great. You have to experiment with how much to use andhow long to use it. I usually took about a cup of them and put them in a cheesecloth and put that little sack in the wort somewhere in the heating/cooling cycle and took it out before primary fermentation. Once the beer was almost too hoppy for me amd I like hoppuy brew. Eventually i got the hang of it though.

Hops can be container grown. Give them a decent mix with reasonable drainage. Manure tea or compost or wome fertilizer will be needed to keep them growing for many seasons. If you live where it freezes hard, bury the pots for the winter so they don't freeze thaw too much and get all dried out.

Have fun.

Oscar

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), January 15, 2002.

I got a hops vine to grow. I love it! It covers the top of a small (5x6) outbuilding and has lovely hops on it. Little or no cultivation. The first 3-4 years they will be a "quiet" plant with not tons of growth. After that... Hops pillows, etc. Lovely plant. Wonderful for seasonal shade. Even grows well ON TOP of that hot shingled shed roof. Good luck. Medium to nasty soil. Pick the hops when they are green. Dry them in an airy basket in the garage. Enjoy!!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), January 15, 2002.

I have a hop vine .I believe it is the Cascade variety and it is just beautiful. It grows every year here in central Missouri. It does get a little yeasty smelling in the humid summers but that is the whole idea, isn't it?I have alot of organic matter especially sheep manure and wood chips around it. Pinetree is a good place to get anything. If you have not tried them yet get the Dragon Langiere beans-best bean there ever was. Good luck, Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), January 15, 2002.

Hops will grow well and easily. It can be invasive like mint in good soil. Think about where you will plant it. It also dries nice in long twisted vines or shaped into wreaths. Looks great draped around like that.

-- Anne (Healthytouch101@wildmail.com), January 15, 2002.

A good source for hops is Nichols Garden Nursery and they are offering two free seed packs, up to $5.00 value, if you write on the order form: "Free Mother Earth News Offer" next to the two packets you've chosen. There are eight seed suppliers that are participating in this 2 free seed pack offer:Sow Organic (Offer available only online)www.organicseed.com/motherearthnews.html, Territorial Seed Co. www.territorialseed.com, Peaceful Valley Farm Supply www.groworganic.com, Nichols Garden Nursery www.nicholsgardennursery.com, Johnny's Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com, Irish Eyes/Garden City Seeds www.irish-eyes.com, Eden Organic Nursery Services www.eonseed.com,Willhite Seed, Inc.www.willhiteseed.com My hops plants did not do well the first year, as suppose they are more into putting down roots than making hops or top growth.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002.

We haven't had much luck with our Hops vines. We have a Tettnanger and a couple others I don't remember which they are anymore. Going into our 4th year with them. Last year the Tett. did the best yet, but still only reached 8' tall with 3-4 thin vines - no fruit. (is it considered a fruit or vegetable?) We actually have troubles growing many things one would think hardy. Been told our nights temps are too low up here at 9000' elevation. Good soil and lots of rays though! We'll keep trying. Good luck! and anyone with extra Hops are welcome to send them our direction as we love brewing!

-- Michelle in NM (naychurs_way@hotmail.com), January 17, 2002.