When to plant new hops

[cincybrewer]

I've tried to search on this but couldn't find any answers. Do hops need to be planted after the last frost? Also, can you start the hops indoors similar to tomato plants to give them a heads start or is it just best to directly plant into the ground? Thanks!

 

[bchurch]

Yes after the last frost is a good time or you can keep them in pots indoors to start but they should be planted before it gets to hot... before June to be safe. April to May is a good time. Don't expect for them to yield anything the first year, you might get a few but they are spending most of the energy est. a root system. You will also need to protect them in the winter. I put 6 inches of fall leaves with some compost on top.

 

[microbusbrewery]

You can start them indoors but in my experience it's not necessary. I've planted them in early spring as soon as I was able to work the soil, which is often well before the last frost. They're pretty hardy plants.

 

[cincybrewer]

Thanks for the info. I figured I wouldn't get many hops this year but thought if I started them indoors it might provide a better yield since they get started a little earlier.

 

[Sherpa]

Hops should be planted close to the last frost of the season. The later frosts in spring can affect the growth but they are pretty hardy. They always seem to grow better the second year, but it definately gives them a head start to start them in a greenhouse. I live in Colorado and I planted rhizomes and a starter and they both did fairly well. (even with frost issues)

 

[microbusbrewery]

Thanks for the info. I figured I wouldn't get many hops this year but thought if I started them indoors it might provide a better yield since they get started a little earlier.

Don't count on getting much if any harvest the first year. I've gotten most of my rhizomes from freshops.com and I ordered the "jumbo" size whenever it was available. Most of the jumbos produced the first year, but the general rule is don't expect much for the first year even if you start them indoors. It's really more about letting them establish themselves.