So, you've decided planting hops is the right choice for your small farm, and you've chosen your varieties and ordered your rhizomes. What's next?
You'll need to make sure you plan ahead, choosing and preparing your site carefully, building a trellis to support the hops bines, and preparing your soil for optimal growing results.
Choosing a Site for Growing Hops
When choosing your growing site, you should consider the following requirements of the hops plant.
Sunlight. Hops require lots of sunlight to grow well. Choose a southern exposure if possible, particularly if you're in the northern part of the world. Your planting spot should get at least six to eight hours of full sun daily.
Soil quality and drainage. Hops require a pH of 6.5 to 8.0 to grow well. Soil needs to be full of nurtients and well-amended. Hops need lots of moisture, but soil that is too wet will grow moldy and diseased, so you don't want soggy. Make sure your site has good drainage.
Room to climb. Hops bines grow to a minimum of twelve feet, and up to twenty-five feet or more! Commercial hops plantations in the United States typically use eighteen-foot trellis systems. More on your trellis system below, but it needs to be strong enough to bear the weight of the heavy bines, and to survive in whatever level of wind your site experiences.
Air but not too much wind. You want a spot with good air circulation to prevent mold and diseases and pest infiltration, but if it's too windy your hops will suffer. If needed, construct a windbreak, or choose a site that is not too windy.
Constructing Your Hops Trellis
Since hops are a tall-growing vine-like plant, you will need to construct some means of supporting the bines as they grow. The exact nature of the trellis depends on the specifics of your small farm layout. You may need to build a free-standing trellis. Typical shapes are either a T-shaped pole in the middle with twine coming down and out from the top of it, and a rectangular trellis with two supports on each side and a ladder-like horizontal top portion (like a swingset).
Be sure your supports are dug well into the ground, three feet deep at a minimum, and that they are in the ground in such a way that they won't fall over with the weight of your plants. Pour concrete around them if you can.
You will need to have your trellis constructed by the time your plants are six inches high, as they must be trained to grow up the trellis, so do not delay this part of your project! Have it done before you plant your rhizomes, ideally.
Each plant will weigh at least twenty or twenty-five pounds at maturity, so be sure your trellis can support this amount of weight (times the number of plants you will grow).
Sisal twine works well for hops plants; really anything that is strong and light will work.
Consider existing structures to grow hops on, such as along fences, garages, outbuildings or property lines.
Preparing Your Soil for Planting
Add lots of compost or well-rotted manure to your planting site. Check the pH of your soil and make sure it is in the 6 to 8 range.
Work the soil at least two feet deep and mix in any amendments well. Raise the surface of the bed above the ground level, making one hill per plant.
Planting Your Hops Rhizomes
Plant in early spring once the threat of frost has passed. Do not plant later than May. If you are in a zone that has late frosts, you may start your rhizomes in pots indoors and transplant in June.
You will want to space your hops plants about three feet apart. If you are growing different varieties, they should be at least five feet apart.
Plant each rhizome vertically, bud end up, or horizontally if you can't tell which side is the bud end. Cover with one inch of loose soil.
After planting, mulch thickly to keep in moisture and keep out pests and weeds.
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