We have received a lot of calls lately on when to plant hops and how to store them until they are ready for their permanent home.\u00a0 Most of you who have ordered rhizomes to be planted this year will have already received them.\u00a0 When you plant them depends a lot on how cold and wet your soil is.\u00a0 In Vermont you can still go snowshoeing in places, while other folks are already out in the fields.\u00a0 If there\u2019s still frost in the ground, needless to say, it\u2019s probably best to hold off for a bit.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t plant your rhizomes right away, you have a few options.\u00a0 If you have the space, you can pot them and put them in a greenhouse or under a plastic tunnel.\u00a0 This way, when you put them in the ground, the hops will already have a head start on the growing season.\u00a0 This is definitely your best option.\u00a0 When transplanting, be careful to not break off the growing tip, as it will set the hops back.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have the space or resources to pot your rhizomes, you can keep them in a plastic bag in a cool environment.\u00a0 They should be kept moist, but not wet.\u00a0 To regulate the humidity, you can surround them with damp shredded paper towel, and spritz them every once in a while.<\/p>\n
Your rhizomes or potted hops should be planted once the soil is warm and has dried out a bit.\u00a0 If you know your soils are heavy and the soil is soggy, the rhizomes won\u2019t be able to breathe and will drown.\u00a0 Wait until the soil can be easily worked.\u00a0 Now is the time to get a head start on making a weed-free bed and to add a healthy dose of compost to the planting site. Approximately a spade shovelful per hill is ideal, which comes to about two tons of compost per acre.\u00a0 Rhizomes should be planted two to four per hill and covered with 0.25 \u2013 1\u201d of soil, with a bud pointing upward.\u00a0 Water in short increments frequently.\u00a0 A late hard frost can nip the growing points, which will set the plants back a bit, but shouldn\u2019t kill them.\u00a0 We heard a few reports of this last year with that late snow fall in mid-May, but folks still had a decent harvest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We have received a lot of calls lately on when to plant hops and how to store them until they are ready for their permanent home.\u00a0 Most of you who have ordered rhizomes to be planted this year will have already received them.\u00a0 When you plant them depends a lot on how cold and wet … <\/p>\n