Plant hops after frost. Set a rhizome about 1 inch deep with the buds up, or set a nursery pot with the crown at soil level, and give each plant room.
Plant after frost, with the rhizome barely covered
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| When | After the last hard frost, once the soil can be worked | Planting into frozen or waterlogged ground |
| Depth — rhizome | About 1 inch of loose soil; buds pointing up | Burying the piece so deep it never breaks |
| Depth — pot | Crown at nursery-pot level | Sinking the crown below grade |
| Spacing | About 3 feet for the same kind; about 5 feet between mixed names | A packed ribbon with no air between crowns |
Wait until frost is done to plant a rhizome or a potted crown. [1] Cover a rhizome with about 1 inch of loose soil and keep the buds up. [2] A nursery plant sits no deeper than it grew in the pot. [3]
When should I plant hops?
After the last hard frost, once the soil can be worked. Keep rhizomes cool and moist until that day.
How to plant hops
Work one hill at a time: loosen well-drained ground, set the rhizome or pot, then water to settle.
- Confirm Humulus lupulus — not hop tree (Ptelea), hop bush, or Japanese hops.
- For a rhizome: dig a shallow trench, lay it with buds up, and cover with about 1 inch of loose soil.
- For a nursery plant: dig a hole as deep as the pot and about twice as wide. Set the crown level with the soil. [4]
- Water at plant-out. Space the same kind about 3 feet apart. Give mixed named kinds about 5 feet so roots do not mingle.
How deep do I plant hops?
A rhizome about 1 inch deep, buds up. A nursery plant sits with the crown at soil level — not buried.
Space the plants — and what fails
Home rows need about 3 feet so each crown can run. Mixed named kinds want about 5 feet so underground stems do not cross. Crowding plus a wet crown is the usual rot setup.
How far apart do I plant hops?
About 3 feet for the same kind. Mixed named kinds about 5 feet so rhizomes are less likely to mix.
- Planted before frost — the piece rots or stalls in cold soil.
- Rhizome buried too deep — shoots never break.
- Crown sunk below grade — rot in wet spells.
- Packed tighter than 3 feet — a tangle of bines and mixed names.
If a new hill never broke, wait for frost-free soil and plant the next rhizome barely covered, buds up.
FAQ
Can I grow hops from seed or cuttings?
Buy a female rhizome or a potted crown for named kinds. Seed can produce male plants with no brewing cones. Stem cuttings can root, but a nursery clone is the reliable home start.
Why did the new plants fail?
Usually a late frost, a rhizome planted too deep, or a crown sitting in water. Reset after frost on ground that drains, with the frame already in place.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] Oregon State University Extension -
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9115-growing-hops-home-garden - [2] Utah State University Extension -
https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/hops-in-the-garden - [3] Old Farmer's Almanac -
https://www.almanac.com/plant/hops - [4] Penn State Extension -
https://extension.psu.edu/growing-hops-at-home
This note is part of Humulus Guides.
More planting notes by plant are gathered in Planting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors