Which hop(s) to grow in SE PA

[tieflyer]

Ok, I am going to try growing them next year here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, any ideas which hop(s) is best suited for this area?

I will probably put in cascade(before everyone tells me to try it), but how about other varieties?

Any other Pennsylvania growers who can recommend what grows best for them?

I figured I would ask now so I can search all winter for the best ones and dream of the great beer I will be brewing with them!


Any good rhizome sources you can recommend?

Yes, I want the world!!!

 

[cyberbackpacker]

I have personally discovered that even within a 5' radius the same variety can have dramatically different growth patterns; sun light distribution, water absorbtion, etc. All these affect your "micro-climate" for each particular plant, let alone variety.

That said, I have had great success with cascade, nugget, and magnum. To a lesser extent spalt, crystal, and sterling have done well, but not gang busters like the other three.

This was my second season and I am in central PA, 17837.

Before I planted I used a gas-powered auger and drilled a 12" wide x 24" deep hole, mixed the removed soil with manure and potting soil, and refilled each hole with that mixture.

Good luck... they are a lot of fun!

 

[B-Hoppy]

I have personally discovered that even within a 5' radius the same variety can have dramatically different growth patterns;

i second that! sometimes it takes even more time to verify the results. certain varieties that you may NOT have grown for the past 2 years may have done very very well. it's not that easy as i have seen over the past 20 or so years. at my location cascade and chinook cannot be beat. some years the centennials will give me a pound per plant which will make me a couple brews. i would give any variety at least 3 years in the ground before making a decision to keep or lift it because year one it's just establishing itself. year two may similar if it is growing in a really bad location. all things taken into account, by the third year you should be abel to tell which ones are going to perform the best for you in your particular location. have fun and try to find some other local growers you can exchange rhizomes with - it will really cut down the cost. alternatively, freshops is a good source for cuttings in the spring.

 

[bentonre]

I am in the Lehigh Valley and Santium seems to do quite well....Have Willamette and Perle...but not much luck this year with them....

 

[Sithdad]

My brother's father-in-law grew Cascade, Chinook, Wilamette and another I can't recall. This was their first year and they got a decent crop out of the Cascade and their Chinook did well enough that I supposed to be getting some of both. Not sure how much of the Willamette he got this year. He lives just outside of Reading.

 

[DrawTap88]

+1 to freshops. I got a couple rhizomes from them this past spring that have done well for first year plants in containers (in my humble opinion).

They also have a good characteristics guide that may help you narrow down which variety(s) you want and can grow in your area. By that I mean, you can find out what kinds of pests and diseasesthey're susceptible to. The Freshops link doens't seem to be working right now.

Another good place to learn about the hops is HopUnion. Check out their education page. More specifically check out the Hop Variety Data Booklet.

Hope that helps.

 

[dstar26t]

I have 5, 2nd year plants in SE PA. Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Hallertau and Willamette. The Cascade and Chinook yielded about 5 pounds each wet, the Centennial 1 pound, Hallertau 10 oz and Willamette 6 oz. The Cascade and Chinook needed 3 harvests while the rest needed 2 in order to get the most yield of good cones.

 

[CoalCracker]

Didn't realize there were that many SE/Central Pa'ers on here. I live in Pottsville but frequent lower Macungie as my girlfriend lives there. Also looking to grow hops next season. Glad I found this thread.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

l grow Cascade, Nuggett, nagnum, Fuggle andalso Willhmette in Central PA (200 plus) T Cascade and Magnum do well here. A good reliable source for Rhizomes is the Thyme Garden. I purchased a large quantity last year to get a new field going and had a 95 percent groth rate from them.
Good Luck.

 

[dstar26t]

Nice to hear that Magnum does well. I may swap out one of my plants for them.

 

[jmm635]

I got a pretty nice first year yield from my Cascade and Nugget. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Hopfarmer]

I will be selling rhizomes again coloradoorganichops.com cascades and chinooks for sure in pa nuggets centenial wilammettes might do well I will have Cascades and Chinooks for sure both certified organic and a mix of conventional not sure what though Cheers glen

 

[SteveM]

I got more Cascade than I could harvest this year (two pounds, dry weight, in the freezer - my wife said no more), and after a couple of years of little or nothing, my Mount Hood also gave me a decent yield this year also.

Cascade seems to grow like a weed here.

 

[onegandolf1]

Ok, I am going to try growing them next year here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, any ideas which hop(s) is best suited for this area?

I will probably put in cascade(before everyone tells me to try it), but how about other varieties?

Any other Pennsylvania growers who can recommend what grows best for them?

I figured I would ask now so I can search all winter for the best ones and dream of the great beer I will be brewing with them!


Any good rhizome sources you can recommend?

Yes, I want the world!!!

I live in the Erie area and Willamette does well here. We are having a real severe Mildew problem , so I'm looking at varieties such as Santium, Liberty and trying to find Amarillo . They are all Mildew resistant.

 

[SteveM]

I've tried to find Amarillo - from what I've heard, it's proprietary and only grown on one farm, and any Amarillo rhizomes are "of dubious provenance" (i.e., stolen) or not really Amarillo. I heard this a year or two ago - it's possible that they've been put on the market since then.

 

[fotomatt1]

My parents live in the Lehigh Valley of PA, and I'm going to start growing hops on their property this spring. The LHBS in Bethlehem is taking orders for rhizomes, so I'm just wondering what would be good to grow on your own, especially since you can't really tell what the AAU's are without having them tested.

 

[Retrofit]

I think every hop grower should grow what they use.
To grow a hop that grows well but isn't something you use is at best an exercise in aesthetics.

Grow what you use, worry about how well it grows after you plant it.

 

[jmm635]

Since you don't have an accurate AAU measurement it is probably best to use home grown hops as late aroma additions and for dry hopping. So any hop typically used for aroma should be a nice addition to the garden.

 

[fotomatt1]

Since you don't have an accurate AAU measurement it is probably best to use home grown hops as late aroma additions and for dry hopping. So any hop typically used for aroma should be a nice addition to the garden.

Any recommendations for type?

 

[jmm635]

Any recommendations for type?

I like Cascade for dry hopping. It should work for most American IPAs and Pale Ales if that's your thing.