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    has anyone grown hops?. I would like to grow enough to make a couple of brews, how many plants would I need?, and where would I get them from?..... I can,t find any info on where when and how to look after them.
    Work like you don't need the money...
    Love like you,ve never been hurt...
    and Dance Like you do when no-one is watching...

  • #2
    I grow hops merely to cover an ugly wall. They grow like wildfire in my semi sahdy bed. No idea how you grow them for beer though sorry
    WPC F Hobbit, Shire police

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    • #3
      Originally posted by slabbit View Post
      has anyone grown hops?. I would like to grow enough to make a couple of brews, how many plants would I need?, and where would I get them from?..... I can,t find any info on where when and how to look after them.
      I used to grow hops at my old house over a pergola. 1 vine provided enough hops to make ~50 litres of hop ale. The trick is to make sure they are in good draining soil with plenty of organic matter, have a sturdy structure to climb and are well watered from the root. Trim off some of the young leaves to open the vines up in May (these leaves make great salads or a lightly steamed veg) and clear the dead leaves in autumn, once the hops have appeared but do not prune back the vine until all the "fruit" has been harvested. I never encountered any real problems except overzealous pruning (!?) and some of the hops going mouldy in wet weather (simply remove mouldy bits; can reduce risk by opening up properly in May as described above)

      Worth noting hop ale taste great but only lasts for about a week unless sterilised and bottled as soon as it is made. I do still make it as I am lucky enough to leave in an area with wild hops

      regards

      Kitchen Gardener

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      • #4
        Originally posted by kitchengardner View Post
        I used to grow hops at my old house over a pergola. 1 vine provided enough hops to make ~50 litres of hop ale. The trick is to make sure they are in good draining soil with plenty of organic matter, have a sturdy structure to climb and are well watered from the root. Trim off some of the young leaves to open the vines up in May (these leaves make great salads or a lightly steamed veg) and clear the dead leaves in autumn, once the hops have appeared but do not prune back the vine until all the "fruit" has been harvested. I never encountered any real problems except overzealous pruning (!?) and some of the hops going mouldy in wet weather (simply remove mouldy bits; can reduce risk by opening up properly in May as described above)

        Worth noting hop ale taste great but only lasts for about a week unless sterilised and bottled as soon as it is made. I do still make it as I am lucky enough to leave in an area with wild hops

        regards

        Kitchen Gardener
        thanks... Kitchen Gardener....Do you have a receipe to share?. I have only brewed from kits before.

        thanks.....slabbit
        Work like you don't need the money...
        Love like you,ve never been hurt...
        and Dance Like you do when no-one is watching...

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        • #5
          First post.....
          Just had a Hop Rhizome delivered from Deacon's Nursery ...... They even rang me and said it had been dispatched! Great Service!
          Anyway, I've bought a Northdown Hop plant as I brew my own beer and want to take it one step further and grow my own hops.

          As I don't have a 30' structure to grow it up, I'm going to use a wall to grow it along , rather than up.

          Not quite sure what to do with the plant now..... get it in the ground asap, I guess.

          Prozac

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          • #6
            A very kind lady on here sent me a few seeds last autumn, and I'm hoping to grow some plants along the chicken run (just hope the little madams don't eat them all!)
            My girls found their way into my heart and now they nest there

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            • #7
              i got mine from a very disreputable on line merchant, bit of a pain to be said... However...

              the hop plants were top class, i got a progress (american style) and a Goldings 'Early Bird', they are both now coming into the 2nd season so i hope for better than last year (a small quantity of progress, they were as the doctor ordered!)

              Get some good goldings, or fuggles, both a mainstay of english bitters and ales. they are worth growign and a wire run along a fence line (a 30ft fence line) is all you need.

              Plant the rizomes, then allow to mature (muck always helps), and watch for the wind - when the flowers come good and become papery to the touch they are probably ready (a dusting of yellow lupulin will accumulate at the top of each 'petal' in the center of the bloom. the one thing to watch is when they are nearly ready any strong wind will strip them of thier moisture and turn them brown - which is not good for beer. After harvesting cut back and dry them by placing them into a newspaper pocket stapled shut and stick them in the airing cupboard. They will probably make another run for if you get good weather early winter, simply dump a load of compost/muck/fleece over the top to protect the new shoots and dream of beer for the dark months.

              A truely overlooked crop - a crop of kings.

              drink and enjoy.

              HTH

              Socks

              AKA Chris the Fish on the homebrewing forums..



              Ps. Is that you Prozac from JBK?
              Last edited by Socks; 17-01-2009, 02:21 AM.
              http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/blogs/socks/

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              • #8
                Socks/CtF,
                Yep, it's the one and the same 'Prozac' ...... I've been rumbled !!!!! A man of many hobbies and just one username
                I'm also on the UK Buell Forum....
                A couple of Caravanning Forums....
                A couple of Mountain Bike Forums.......
                A couple of Jeep Forums.....
                Jims Beer Kit.....

                Excellent response by the way fella!!!!!
                I've got the rhizome in the ground and can train it in two directions.
                How 'bushy' will it be in full swing? I have a low wall about 30" high, that's about 40' long but it's next to a path.
                I could train a wire along the wall if it's not going to cover the path....

                I'll also train it the other way but it only has about 15' to go that way before it hits a bush.I could train it around the bush and along the garage......

                There will be plenty of questions coming from this plant I fear.

                Thanks for the responses.

                Prozac
                Last edited by Prozac; 17-01-2009, 11:52 AM.

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                • #9
                  Lol, i remember joining here in 06, however not frequented for a while, then i went to re-register using CtF but i was still registed under my email!! Anyhow, small world eh!

                  As for the 'How Bushy' question, i let about 4 main shoots develop (you'll get loads) and the more you have, the bushier it gets. My potted first year progress was about 15ft long, and hung down about 2ft, quite slim (not as slim as my ground planted Early Bird) so you should be ok if they are first year plants, after that you'll have a good idea of what to expect for subsequent years. By all accounts they are pants in the first year and your lucky for it to crop (my progress flowered, my early bird didnt). If they are in the ground now, keep them protected and you'll reap the rewards next sept.

                  Good luck

                  Chris
                  Last edited by Socks; 18-01-2009, 12:57 AM.
                  http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/blogs/socks/

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