Next Years Hop Project

[Texas Ale Works]

I love to grow stuff, and have wanted to grow hops for a few years now, next year is the year.

I just moved into my new and hopefully last house in Monument, CO, and they will start my landscaping late this week or early next. I know it is to late to get anything going this year, so I will plan for next spring.

I am having a fence put in just like this one

complete with the wire mesh. the idea is to plant a few at the fence poles and train them to run along the length.
The fence in the picture is a shared fence and the wire is on my neighbors side. The run I want to use will be a stand alone section putting the wire on the planting side, and not pissing my neighbor off.

Not sure if I will install beds, use a large container, or just throw them in the ground. This all depends on what happens to the soil during the landscaping. The planting area will be prepped and hydro-seeded.

So, as I make my plans, sell my wife on the idea, and decide on what hop to plant first, any input from the collective is needed and appreciated.

Last, the run of fence I will have available is over 100 feet long.

Thanks

T

 

[Head First]

I love to grow stuff, and have wanted to grow hops for a few years now, next year is the year.

I just moved into my new and hopefully last house in Monument, CO, and they will start my landscaping late this week or early next. I know it is to late to get anything going this year, so I will plan for next spring.

I am having a fence put in just like this one
View attachment 3311

complete with the wire mesh. the idea is to plant a few at the fence poles and train them to run along the length.
The fence in the picture is a shared fence and the wire is on my neighbors side. The run I want to use will be a stand alone section putting the wire on the planting side, and not pissing my neighbor off.

Not sure if I will install beds, use a large container, or just throw them in the ground. This all depends on what happens to the soil during the landscaping. The planting area will be prepped and hydro-seeded.

So, as I make my plans, sell my wife on the idea, and decide on what hop to plant first, any input from the collective is needed and appreciated.

Last, the run of fence I will have available is over 100 feet long.

Thanks

T

Hops are not only useful for brewing but if planted and spaced properly look cool. I have seen them on a fence like that resembling a grape arbor. A taller fence can provide privacy or just shade in the summer. The amount of maintenance required is what you want to put into them. Removing old bines is not difficult,we do ours in a couple of hours.
If you have ever done much gardening hops are extremely simple in comparison to vegetables to maintain. If you like to grow things then grow things. Hops are really easy to grow in comparison to other crops.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Well Missus wants a shade trellis type thing for the front of our house in summer to shade living room window and guess what ive got the green light on hops for the plant we will use!

 

[thunderwagn]

Fence like that will look sharp covered in hops! You will probably need to run something though for the hop bines to actually grow and travel on. You will not want the bines to weave in and out of that welded wire. I speak from experience on that. Sometimes we do what we need to do, but weaving can make for some very long and tedious harvests. Not to mention that wire won't hold up with it all after probably year 2 or 3. I would put in some nails, fence staples, or eyelets and run twine to actually train the bines on and you'll have plenty of growth to give the fence a nice covered look. You'll have to spend time though almost daily to keep the bines growing along the twine horizontal. They love to grow up! It's not bad or hard to do though and will look great.