🌿 Hops

Humulus lupulus

herbs Perennial

☀️ Sun

Full sun

💧 Water

Regular, consistent moisture; heavy drinker during growth

🗺️ Zones

4–8

🪴 Soil Type

Rich, deep loam with good drainage

🧪 Soil pH

6.0–7.5

💧 Drainage

Well-draining

📏 Spacing

3–5 ft (on trellis, rows 8–12 ft apart)

📐 Height

15–25 ft (climbing bine)

📅 Days to Maturity

365+ (harvest in year 2–3)

🍴 Edible Parts

🍽️ Flower cones (strobiles) for brewing; young shoots as vegetable

🤝 Companions (8)

🤝 Comfrey

Dynamic accumulator, mulch

🤝 Yarrow

Attracts beneficial insects

🤝 Marigold

Pest deterrent

🤝 Nasturtium

Aphid trap crop

🤝 Coriander

Attracts hoverflies, aphid predators

🤝 Dill

Attracts beneficial wasps

🤝 Chives

Deters aphids and spider mites

🤝 Borage

Attracts pollinators

⚠️ Keep Apart (3)

⚠️ Fennel

Allelopathic, inhibits growth

⚠️ Potato

Shares verticillium wilt susceptibility

⚠️ Tomato

Shares blight and wilt diseases

💊 Medicinal Uses

Sedative and anxiolytic properties (humulone, lupulone); aids sleep; antimicrobial; phytoestrogenic; used in herbal sleep pillows.

📜 History & Traditional Uses

Used in brewing since 9th century Germany; mandated in beer by Bavarian Purity Law of 1516; young shoots eaten as 'poor man's asparagus.'

📝 Notes

Vigorous climbing bine (twines clockwise); needs tall, sturdy trellis; female plants produce cones for brewing; dies back to crown in winter.