What do I need to grow hops? (materials, steps)

FYI Brew Dudes just received theirs from Fresh Hops. Always happy to see more people growing hops :-)

Looks like there are plenty of readers here who want to learn more about growing hops. Here where I live in Southeastern PA the soil is workable. Hops can be planted now. What else do you need to grow hops? I'm no expert, but this worked for me. If you have tips, chime in and help us out here :-)

1. rhizome(s)
2. place to plant with lots of sun (southern exposure to the sun)
   
3. loamy dirt (my non-scientific amateur mix is something like; 4 parts soil : 2 parts sand : 4 parts peat moss) This loose well draining moisture holding dirt eases root growth.
   
4. Is there something for them to climb? (or will you build that later)

This is how we planted the thirty plants last year. Many grew to 18 feet.

1. mix up the dirt
   
2. poured it into 2-3 foot wide mount on top of the lawn about 5 inches or so deep *
   
3. used my hand to dig a little hole in the middle
4. lay rhizome in horizontally, if there are whitish buds, point them up
5. cover with an inch of soil
6. I usually water the mound

Planning for the future...

• try to get the location right so you don't need to transplant (not a huge deal, just a bit more work)
• plant far enough apart so two different varieties don't grow together, remember shorter = bushier and wider
• start thinking about your trellis/twine/thing to climb on
  

For instructions from tons of other sources use my hop growing resource page.

NOTE: The ground Gavin and I planted in at his place stays pretty wet, that's why we chose to use mounds. I heard this can keep your the roots from being too wet. If your ground is dry, particularly hard or mostly comprised of clay you should dig a hole about a foot deep fill with your soil mixture and plant the rhizome that way. Bryan and I used this method in the backyard and it worked out very well.