Hop Grower Dan

This year I am going to try my hand at growing my own hops. I have a bit of a green thumb and have been publishing a vegetable garden blog for three years now so they should be easy enough for me to grow. I have chosen three varieties even through I really only have room for two and they will be grown up strings that are about 20 feet long.

I wanted to grow general purpose hops and I also wanted to select vigorous & disease resistant varieties. Here are the ones I selected and a short description of how I want to use them:

• Nugget - selected for an all purpose bittering hop.
  
• Goldings - selected for ales, stouts & barely wines. Possibly used for lagers as well.
• Cascade - selected for pale ales & IPA's
  

With these varieties I should be able to supply most of my hops needs. Then I would only need to order specific hops if needed. I ordered my rhizomes from Left Fields Hops who are located in British Columbia, Canada. They offer a good selection and at good prices.

Here is what arrived, Short rhizome cuttings. I planted them about 6" deep with a good amount of compost. Once they start growing I will run some string from the ground to the eaves of the house and let them grow. I am guessing this year hop production will be pretty low. Hopefully I get something though.