As our followers know we’re keen hop growers and home brewers. With so many different hop varieties to choose from we’ve never had it so good.
If you are a homebrewer with a bit of space in your garden, you might have considered growing your own hops. Believe it or not, it’s easier than you might think! In this article, I am going to take you through some of my learnings as I’ve grown my own hops right from growing to harvesting. I am no professional, but merely a homebrewer with an interest in hops – hopefully you might have some takeaways of your own from this!
Where to buy Hop Rhizomes
We’ve had a number of enquiries about getting hop plants, whilst we sell hop seed kits the best way to grow hops is to purchase the root plant (Rhizomes). I ended up buying my hop rhizomes here in the U.K. from Aplus Hops and going with Fuggles & Prima Donna hops. Overall I was really impressed with Aplus Hops and the product that they delivered.
Planting the Rhizome
When the hop rhizome is delivered, it doesn’t look like much. It’s basically a cut away root that looks a bit gnarly. Don’t be disappointed, this root will grow into a big hop plant with the right love and care!
When it comes to the location that you decide to plant, remember that hops are climbers and can grow to about 8 meters in height! I’ve had the most success with a sunny spot that has a sturdy string that allows the vines to creep along. You can even try to grow them in a big pot.
In the U.K, you should aim to plant rhizomes in early spring as late planting limits the plant’s growth potential. When you are ready, plant the rhizomes horizontally with the buds pointing upward. It may seem a bit counter-intuitive planting this way, but the buds will shoot vertically from the horizontally planted rhizome.
The waiting game
At this point, it really is just a waiting game. When the temperature starts to get a little warmer and the days a bit longer, you should notice shoots start to appear above the ground.
During the first growing season you may not get much of a crop, but cut them back in the Winter and the following year they’ll come back and once established you’ll get much better results.
We’ve had a word with our supplier A+ Hops who have given us an Exclusive 10% discount for our readers. So simply visit their website https://www.aplus-hops.co.uk/ and use discount code WALESALES at the checkout for 10% off.
(*This code will apply 10% off to any bare root hop plant – only applies to hop plant not any other assessories).
