Growing Hops in the North East

[delboy]

How far north are you Delboy? Still no signs of my hops popping up

Just above belfast, which would put me around about as far north as newcastle (edit: on closer inspection somewhere between middlesboro and sunderland).

I wouldn't get dismayed yet hops are a strange beasty they do nothing for ages and then suddenly they spring to life, my hops were dormant until just the last week or two.

[GeordieBrewer]

I reckon there may be a sign of life! A couple of tiny shoots (although it could be weeds) either way, will keep you posted! It's been really tough for everything in the garden so far this year.... hope now is the turning point

[Bobba]

Has anyone had any luck planting new hops this year so far. Mine haven't come up yet (2x First gold)

[mysterio]

My Challenger hops are about 8 feet in the air now. They grew over two feet at the weekend !

[pantsmachine]

My Challenger hops are about 8 feet in the air now. They grew over two feet at the weekend !

Wow! I've got 5 foot here with 2" to 3" growth per day. Just goes to show there's a huge variance in hop growing.

[mysterio]

I shouldn't be too quick to boast, this is there fourth or fifth year and I haven't had a decent crop yet.

Do you get much of a crop in Aberdeen?

I'm going to go out and prune I think, I've not touched it since it started growing, there's several dozens of runners including ones several meters from the plant!

[pantsmachine]

A hundred grammes of prima donna and northdown mixed last year. Didn't have much hop aroma TBH. Think i horsed them into a boil as bittering hops! Hoping for more this year since its year 2. in saying that the Northdown has done nothing this year(think the frost might have killed it) whereas the bramling that did nothing last year is at about 4 foot height on 3 bines. I'm sure you'll see a difference once you cut back the extras. Jack and the Beanstalk time!

[GeordieBrewer]

Finally saw shoots about 3 weeks ago! Wasn't sure if it was weeds ar first through, as have just gutted and redone this quarter of the garden.... Being South-West facing, it's a great opportunity...

Anyway, it definately my hops showing their faces for the first time



Fuggles (on the left) doing pretty well.... Target (in the centre) not too sure it they're going to take off... Early Bird Goldings (right) these are really taking off... they just seem to know the wires are there!

[GeordieBrewer]

Well, no flowers, but they're looking very, very healthy.. far left is Fuggles, middle is Target and right is Early Bird Goldings... not bad for 1st years growth! Just gotta figure out how re-organise the wires... grown a lot more than I expected!

[WishboneBrewery]

They look cracking Much healthier than mine in pots.

[andybiochem]

Nice!

Hope you can tell the flowers apart up at the top.

[dynamic dave]

Will you get a harvest first year and what time of the year do they flower?

[GeordieBrewer]

Hi Andy.... hadn't expected them to keep on growing that much! particularly in the first year, but might do some inventive with Gripple wires over the winter.

I think they're meant to flower around August, although I didn't see any... Am starting to get Hop Cones though, so you never know might be lucky

[GeordieBrewer]

Hi guys,

Don't think I'll ever underestimate Hops ability to grow, especially in the North East Coast! This is this years growth so far from those three small Rhizomes! (Does anyone know if Aplus Hops is still going? Their website has been down for that past couple of months)




Serious twisting bines - it's amazing it's cut back and does the same every year!


Not sure if this is the formation of flowers, or the Hop cones themselves.....

[scuppeteer]

Well Geordie, you won't be getting hops off that one in your hand as you've just cut them off!!! Flowers/cones is the same thing, just depends what you want to call them.
They look like they are forming very nicely but obviously as you are much farther North than me you will be a little behind. We have just started to harvest in Kent and Sussex and it's looking like a really good year. I would say you have another couple of weeks to go before they are ready. Just make sure you don't cut any more off!