Edible plant · herbs woody

Hops

Humulus lupulus

Also known asCommon hop · European hop · Houblon · Hopfen

beginner cool-season single

Use in garden planner

Days to harvest

365–730

Yield / plant

0.5kg

Spacing

150 cm

Daily light

25–35DLI

Environment

The bounded range this crop tolerates. Strict on light; outside the DLI band, yields drop sharply.

Temperature

5152535

-20–30°C

45.578.5

6–7.5

EC (hydro)

01234

1.4–2.2 mS/cm

Daily light

5152535

25–35 mol/m²/d

!Light strict; fails outside DLI band

✓Single harvest

Climate and zones

USDA zones: 3–8 (winter low around -40°C)
Frost: very hardy (survives deep cold)
Season: cool (spring/fall)

✓Outdoor year-round (in zone)

✓Outdoor in growing season

·Unheated greenhouse / hoop

·Heated greenhouse

·Indoor (heated home)

·Indoor hydroponics + grow lights

Growing systems

Root mass: very heavy. Thin-channel systems can't hold this crop.

·Deep water culture (rafts)

·NFT channels

·Vertical / aeroponic tower

·Drip / Dutch buckets

·Media bed (ebb and flow)

·Wicking bed

✓Soil bed

Growing media

Medium	pH effect	Retention	Bacterial surface
Soil-based mix (Potting soil)	varies	high	high

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.

Stage	N	P	K	EC (mS/cm)
seedling	2	1	1	1.2
vegetative	3	1	2	2

Companion-growing notes

Heavy uptake of nitrogen, potassium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC.
Very high transpiration. Reservoir drops fast; expect daily top-ups and EC creep.

Aquaponics suitability

Not recommended

Fish waste alone doesn't supply enough of what this crop demands. Grows in hybrid systems with supplemental dosing, but expect active management.

Care notes

A specialty crop for homebrewer-aquaponics enthusiasts. The vine needs 5–8 m of vertical growing space (trellis, strong twine from ground to eave), which limits it to outdoor systems, tall greenhouses, or structures with high ceilings. Large container (30 L) or in-ground planting. EC 1.5-2.5 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 15–25°C growing season; requires winter dormancy with freezing temperatures. Full sun (DLI 18-25 mol/m2/day; hops need long day length, 15+ hours, to trigger cone production). Propagation by rhizome division (plant pieces of the underground rhizome in spring). First-year harvest is minimal; full production begins in year 2-3. Harvest cones in late summer when they feel papery, dry, and spring back when squeezed, and when the lupulin glands (yellow powder inside the cone) are visible and aromatic. Each mature plant produces 0.5–2 kg of dried cones. Dry cones at 55–65°C immediately after harvest to prevent oxidation. For homebrewers, 2-3 plants provide enough hops for 10-20 batches of beer per year.

Notable varieties

Cultivar	Type	Origin	Days	Notes
Cascade	open pollinated	USDA / Oregon State University, 1972	365	American aroma hop, citrus-grapefruit profile. The defining hop of West Coast IPAs. The most-planted home garden variety; vigorous, productive, disease-resistant, suits most American beer styles.
Centennial	open pollinated	USDA, 1990	365	American aroma-bittering dual-purpose hop. Lemon-citrus profile. Often called 'super Cascade' for the more intense character. Productive, popular among home brewers.
Willamette	open pollinated	USDA, 1976	365	Mild English-style aroma hop, slightly spicy-floral. The American answer to Fuggle. Good for English ales, pale lagers.
Magnum	open pollinated	Hüll Research Station, Germany, 1980	365	Bittering hop, high alpha acids (12-15%). Clean bitterness without strong aroma; what most commercial pale ales use for bittering. Productive.
Saaz	open pollinated		365	Czech noble hop. The defining aroma hop of Bohemian Pilsner. Lower yield than American varieties but flavor irreplaceable for pilsner-style brewing.