- What are hops good for in the garden?
- The right location
- Growing hops in the garden
- Sow hops or propagate from cuttings
- Process hops yourself
Hops are a perennial vine grown commercially because the fruit is essential for beer production. However, hops are also becoming increasingly popular as an ornamental plant in the home garden. How to grow hops in the garden.
Hops are ideal for greening fences or pergolas
What are hops good for in the garden?
- open field or tub
- privacy screen
- shade provider
- Greening of pergolas and balconies
Hops grow very quickly and form a dense privacy screen in the garden. It can also be grown very well to green pergolas or to provide shade on the balcony.
The climbing plant can be placed directly outdoors or kept in a bucket on the terrace or balcony.
If you rely on natural remedies, you can harvest and use the fruits of the hops. The young sprouts that grow in spring are edible and are prepared like asparagus.
The right location
Hops like it sunny to semi-shady. The soil should be slightly damp but absolutely not waterlogged.
Growing hops in the garden
Hops tolerate drought just as little as waterlogging. Water more often in the hot summer, especially if you grow it in a pot.
Since the climbing plant grows very quickly, it needs regular fertilizer. Vegetable fertilizer (7.49€) is ideal for this.
Pruning is only necessary once a year. Hops soak in winter and sprout again in spring.
Sow hops or propagate from cuttings
As a rule, real hops are not sown, but propagated by cuttings or root division. Mainly female plants are grown, as male plants do not bear fruit.
Only Japanese hops are sown. It is an annual and dies at the end of the gardening season.
Process hops yourself
Ripe hops can be harvested and dried. It can be used to prepare soothing teas or natural remedies.
If there are enough hop cones hanging from the plant, it might be worth trying to brew your own beer.
The ripe fruits are used. The only way to tell if hops are ripe is to cut them open. Overripe fruits turn brown and inedible.
tips
Hops have one major disadvantage. In a favorable location, it tends to proliferate and is difficult to remove from the garden. However, the spread can be prevented if you grow the hops in the bucket.