Advice for growing hops

May 22, 2009 6:41 PM

Does anyone out there know about companion plants for hops?

I have been given a beautiful hops plant and I want to plant it so that it grows along my garden fence...but I am worried that the veggies there won't like it. Will it go with peas and beans and stuff or will I regret planting it so that it trails along my garden fence and canopy? Does anyone have any advice? I am not a beer-maker, just a boring plant-lover.

posted by mamaraks to home & garden (3 comments total)

If your hops are anything like mine, it's your OTHER plants you need to watch for! Our three-year-old Cascades here in DC are growing like gangbusters and getting invasive.

They climb better than any other plant I've seen. We've strung twine up from the second floor balcony and it looks like the hops will be up there by the end of June.

It should be fine with the vegetables. We had them with some tomatoes and all the plants seemed happy. The first year or two they will probably be under control, but after that watch out.
posted by exogenous at 6:53 PM on May 22, 2009

Agree with exogenous. Ours grows around a foot a week, I think. As long as you give it something to climb on, and check often for stray hops tentacles on your other plants, you can just watch it grow without worry. Even if you don't brew, it's great to rub the buds between your fingers to smell that fresh hoppy scent.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 11:25 PM on May 22, 2009

Hops are lovely plants but there are a few things you should know about them.
They grow fast, their root stock spreads (10 or more feet is not uncommon) and more hops will sprout from the spreading hop rhizomes(root system) in subsequent years. They are invasive - you can simply cut off any unwanted sprouts without hurting the hop plant.

Hops like to grow vertical so they will grow to the top of your fence then spread horizontally (up to 40 feet). If you have other plants using the fence as a trellis, they will lose out to the hop plant (along the top of the fence - the bottom and mid sections should remain open except where the hop bines come from the ground). Yes, they are called bines and not vines - vines have tentacle like shoots that anchor(wrap around) objects. Bines have stiff hairs along the bine and the bine itself wraps around the object it is climbing.

I have a blog about growing hops if you are interested in learning more about hops growing.
posted by vitallywell at 9:47 AM on May 23, 2009