CORVALLIS, Ore. – With craft beer and home brewing becoming more
popular, interest is fermenting among gardeners in backyard
hops. Oregon State University's hops breeder, Shaun Townsend,
said he regularly fields questions from the public about growing
hops. He also teaches workshops on "hops growing 101" to
prospective hops farmers and gardeners. "Typical questions are:
'How do I fertilize, water and harvest? What sort of diseases
and pests do I need to monitor for? What hop varieties should I
get?'" Townsend said. "I get a question almost every week. I was
on the phone this morning with a fellow in Medford wanting to
grow hops." To get started, Townsend advised planting hops in
well-drained soils and full sun exposure for optimum growth. You
also need at least a 10-foot trellis or pole system to train
these vigorous climbers. One or two plants are plenty for
backyard cultivation, he said. One vigorous plant can yield
about 5 to 6 pounds of fresh cones, the part of the plant that's
used in beer. Wrap the bine