Sometime in the next 4 years I'll either get stationed back in AK, or after 4 years I'll retire from the AF and moving straight back to Wasilla.
While I've lived here in Maryland I've gotten into home brewing beer pretty heavily. I'm wondering if anybody has, or knows anybody who has grown hops up in the South Central area. I think it would be pretty cool to brew my beer with my own home grown hops, but wondering if they do well up there. I'd imagine the plant would grow ok, but do they get time to grow cones before it gets too cold out?

they grow most of Budweiser's hops next door here in Bonners Ferry, Id. our weather is very close to the Mat valley.

Budweiser uses hops? Who knew?

I don't see why not. I've got 15+ year old vines that grow well here on the puget sound.

I cut them to the ground around October and they come sprouting up every spring.

Plenty of sun and keep them somewhat warm, I'd bet they'd grow just fine.

I was thinking the same thing, lots of sunshine in the summer (about 20 hours worth per day for a while), and plenty of rain. Hops are basically a weed so they grow pretty well. I'm just concerned the growing season is too short for them to produce cones. I guess there is really only one way to find out.
If anybody has had success I'm curious to know what species of hops they've had success with. I was thinking about growing Cascade, Centennial, or possibly Citra.

Have two varieties and they do well here in eastern Oregon at 4,500 elevation. We can only do sweet corn or tomatoes about 1 out of 3 yrs because the growing season is too short for those.

There are ways to augment the growing season, hot beds or green houses. I'm sure if you really want to grow hops in SC there is a way.

https://redoubtreporter.wordpress.c...brewers-nurturing-a-growing-local-trend/

Thanks for the link

+1

A neighbor had some. They grew like crazy but never had many blossoms. I think if you had a Southern exposure and warmed the beds with a cover eg. visqueen, to improve and extend the season you may improve the odds. Worth a try.

Thanks for the link John.

That's what I was afraid of. Might be worth it to drive down to homer and see if that guy can show me how he's doing it.

Well I'd be interested I giving this hop thing a go .....and I will let u want they do ....I have been growing broccoli for 4 years ...I allready have been eating my brocli and caluflower along with 5gallon buckets full of tomatoes zuchine …All outside,both shop and house fall between 150-185 degs with 159 being my S ...do u just split a root to start them ? I sent some of my berry shouts to TX..last I heard they were doing fine..

GROWING HOPS
Basic Requirements: Plenty of space. Since healthy hop plants can grow up to 1 ft in a day, space is definitely an element to consider before planting a hop yard.

Site selection. The ideal hop yard must have direct sunlight, easy access to water, and plenty of room for vertical growth. Space along fences, garages, or property lines hold potential as hop yards. Hop vines also need a strong support system to grow successfully; tall poles and strong twine are commonly used to support the growing vines. Growers should avoid sites with electrical wires nearby because of potential problems caused by sprawling vines.

Soil. The soil must be loamy and well drained with a pH of 6.5-8.0. Because hops use large quantities of water and nutrients, the soil needs fertilizers rich in potassium, phosphates, and nitrogen. Home growers can use manure compost and commercial fertilizer for this purpose.

Climate. Wherever the hops are planted, a minimum of 120 frost-free days are needed for hop vines to produce flowers. When the stems break soil, you must support vines off the ground to prevent disease and ensure proper growth. The vines keep growing until mid-July, when most hops are either in full bloom or past bloom, depending on the variety and location. Healthy vines can produce 1-21/2 pounds of dried flowers per plant.

http://www.morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/montell.html