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There is a variety of different ways to grow them from the stuff I have read online from a simple 12ft long pole in the ground with five different types growing on five lengths of a cotton fibre use to grow them on (I for get the name of the cotton fibre) too much more elaborate ways of growing them.I even seen an Austrian guy on youtube who grew his onto a garden arch which looked really impressive.This hop business has really gotten my attention , cant wait to order some. <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

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yeah ! think I may give it a go next year when the rhizomes become available - from what I've read won't be for a few months yet ! - who ever thought that becoming a homebrewer would lead to gardening !!!

This company have some rhyzomes available now to plant for Summer '12.I have emailed them , they are very friendly and the postage to Ireland is the same as the postage to the U.K
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.essentiallyhops.co.uk/acatalog/Hop_Plants.html">www.essentiallyhops.co.uk/acatal ... lants.html

I will be ordering mine after X-mas and between the new year.
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good find gibo !! think I might just do the same !!!
gonna post a thread to get a general consensus from more experienced people on the best variety

I think the hops you choose are driven by two important criteria:

1. The styles of beer you want to make.
Read up on various recipes and get an idea of the hops varities used by the different styles.


2. This is much more difficult: select varieties that are suitable to your area ( climate/micro-climate ) This is where the Beoir experience database is really valuable

Give it a try!!!

Will

&amp;quot;gibo&amp;quot;:2cbsbonw wrote: There is a variety of different ways to grow them from the stuff I have read online from a simple 12ft long pole in the ground with five different types growing on five lengths of a cotton fibre use to grow them on (I for get the name of the cotton fibre) too much more elaborate ways of growing them.I even seen an Austrian guy on youtube who grew his onto a garden arch which looked really impressive.This hop business has really gotten my attention , cant wait to order some. <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->[/quote:2cbsbonw]

I made my own design that's based upon a flag pole. I used 4 meter pressure-treated 4x4s (1 meter under ground in concrete), and attached a simple steel ring to the top, the rope goes through the ring and the ring just acts like a pulley. I then knotted a stainless ring into the rope and I can raise and lower this stainless ring much like a flag using the rope. I have ropes coming off of this central ring down to each hop mound and they're attached to 10" jagged oversized tent spikes. -The problem with my design is that the pressure from pounding in each spike pulls the rope down a bit and decreases the over all height.

The plan was that the rope could be lowered come harvest, the mature cones picked, and then the vines raised back up again. -Its just too much weight+ pressure to get the rope back up to the top. If I were to do it again, I'd use a steel braided cable and a ratcheting hand crank winch to raise/lower the ring that all hop ropes are connected to. (I'm considering adding this upgrade this March before the shoots come up.)

I have 6 hills per pole this way.
The downside of the "may pole"-like designs is that it's very hard to mow around the poles and mounds. Putting them into rows like in a modern hop farm would make it much easier to mow.

Adam