Growing Hops in Virginia
- 1). Till the planting area to a depth of six inches to provide a weed-free planting bed.
- 2). Mix some garden fertilizer or compost into the soil in the immediate area where you will plant the hop rhizomes.
- 3). Place a trellis or another support structure such as a long pole or a piece of string tied to something high up at the planting site. A fence is also a good climbing structure for hops.
- 4). Wait to plant till after the final frost of the season, because frost will damage or kill the rhizomes (pieces of hop root).
- 5). Plant the rhizomes two inches deep with the buds facing up. Plant directly below the support structure, As soon as the vines sprout they will start to wrap around the nearest structure and grow upward.
- 6). Give the plant short, frequent waterings (ever few days) during its first year. The roots are shallow during the first year, and the plant will not produce flowers. Continue to fertilize throughout the growing season, as you would any other garden vegetable. Read the manufacturer's instructions on your brand of fertilizer.
- 7). Trim the weaker and shorter shoots every few weeks during the first growing season, so that you are left with about three strong shoots. Wrap them around the support structure as they climb.
- 8). Mulch heavily in fall before the first frost to insulate the plant from the winter cold. The vines will die back during the winter.
- 9). Prune the old dead vines back at the beginning of spring during the second year. The second-year growth will be even more vigorous than the first. Continue to trim the plant and fertilize the soil, but now you can water for longer and less often.
- 10
Harvest the flowers in late summer, when they are still green and about the size of a raspberry or strawberry (depending on the variety).
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