Grow Your Own Hops, part 2

Okay, so my last post didn’t mention how we actually planted the hops.  Its pretty damn easy, so here’s what to do:

1. Find a spot that gets partial to full sun. Hops love sun.
2. Dig a hole about 12″ across and 12″ deep.  Space each planting hole out about 2 feet. If you have tough rocky soil like we encountered, swear a lot.
3. Fill the hole(s) mostly full with planting soil. We used the cheap stuff that comes in the giant bags.
   

   Williamette Hop Rhizome. Notice the roots and the white buds.

4. Plant the rhizome in the hole about about 4-6 inches beneath the surface. Place the root pointing down, and the white buds pointing up.  Don’t sweat it if the depth isn’t exact or you don’t know which direction to plant the root.  Hops have been figuring out gravity long before we got involved.
5. Cover and level with more planting soil.
6. Water throughly and  keep the soil slightly moist until it sprouts.
7. Open a home brew, sit on the ground and watch the spot intently until it sprouts. This will take anywhere from 1-3 weeks.  I recommend another home brew.
8. At some point the little hop plant will break the surface and you’re on your way! This is what it will look like.
   

   Hops plant sprouting!

9. Have a home brew to celebrate.

Thats all for now.  Basically don’t fret about the details too much.  With water, lots of sun, and decent soil you can’t go wrong.

Next update will go over how to build support for the hops once they start to climb upwards

Grow Your Own Hops

Hello- the blog is back in action!  So I thought I’d start out right with a serial post about how to grow hops. This is going to be a multi-post affair, but I hope to have all the details down in regular updates.

Williamette Hop Rhizome attacks! In 3D!

As an avid home brewer, the brew gang and I have slowly gotten more and more into the ingredients of brewing and less about drinking the beer itself.  Don’t get me wrong- I love home brew and we periodically have folks over for mass tastings, but as I got comfortable with the brewing process I started to wonder where and how the ingredients were made.  For instance, peat moss for beer clarity?  Really?!

Beer is comprised of 4 wonderful and basic components, water, malt, hops, and yeast.

So in the spirit of that simplicity I present to you:

GROWING HOPS: REVENGE OF THE RHIZOME, IN 3D!

Here’s what a hop rhizome looks like in 2D:

Williamette Hop Rhizome below an artist's delicious end result depiction.

And here’s what it looks like when you’ve defeated it.

Hop Rhizome defeated....for now?

Wait, I’m probably missing a bunch of before and after details. I’ll fill those in this week…