Hops Growing Guide

As a hardy perennial plant, typically sown in early spring after the last frost. Hops typically need a minimum of 120 days (frost-free) to flower and produce a good crop. Make sure you plant your hops in an area with sufficient vertical space. If you’re growing in your backyard garden, it is possible to grow Hops along a fence or trellis up a balcony. The Hop plant is dioecious, which means it has separate male and female plants.

In Zones 4 through 8, the Hops plant should be planted in early spring, although you may want to start them indoors several weeks before, as they require a period of winter chilling and a growing season of 120 days. Making sure you get your rhizomes in the ground before temperatures rise is extremely important. Germinating Hops seed has been known to take some time, they require “stratification”, this is a process of pre-treating seeds in order to simulate natural conditions that seeds would experience in the soil over-winter. It helps the seed break dormancy and start the germination process.

One of the best methods is to put seeds in equal amount of moist sand and refrigerate from one to three months at about 41 degrees F. (Stratification process) The optimal temperature for planting in-ground is 68 degrees F. If your Hop seeds do not germinate, it is best to repeat the stratification cycle.

Did you know that Hops grow on Bines not Vines. Bines will grow and twist around something, whereas vines grow little tendrils (like arms) that grip onto things.

Commercial growers will typically use machines/heavy equipment when harvesting their hops, for home gardeners, there are two harvesting hand methods that we recommend. Method #1: cut the vines from their trellis when most of the hops cones are mature, make sure to first pick the lower vines first (3 feet above the ground), by doing this it will help prevent injury to the roots and crown. Method # 2: Pick the cones individually as they mature, since they mature at different rates expect many harvests. Just be sure to prune your hops plant back at the end of the season. Pro Tip: leave 2-3 feet of the vine to be buried for propagating new hops plants the following season.

Whether you’re letting them air dry, drying them out in a dehydrator or oven, it’s important to dry them out as soon as they’re picked to prevent mold or mildew from spoiling them. If choosing to use a form of heat to dry out your hops, do not let the temperature exceed 140 degrees F.

Make sure you turn the cones once a day if you’re letting them air dry. You will know that your hops cones are fully dried out when they become springy when touched or the yellow lupulin easily falls from the cone itself.

Store your hops in a cool, dry, and dark place such as a refrigerator or freezer. Make sure you put your hop cones in a sealable, plastic bag with no air trapped in the bag.