Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Centennial Hops (Humulus lupulus 'Centennial')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Centennial hops, Super Cascade.

More about centennial hops

About Centennial Hops

Humulus lupulus 'Centennial' · also called Centennial hops, Super Cascade · edible

Centennial, nicknamed 'Super Cascade', is a dual-purpose American hop with higher alpha acids and an intense citrus-floral aroma. It is a vigorous twining perennial bine that dies back each winter and climbs 4-6 m up support strings the following spring. Grow it in full sun with deep, fertile, free-draining soil and tall vertical support.

Cold limit: USDA 4-8 (crown reliably hardy) · RHS H6 (16-27°C)

What centennial hops's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for centennial hops: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. On the US scale that maps to USDA 4-8 (crown reliably hardy) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for centennial hops as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can centennial hops go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when centennial hops can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline centennial hops

Centennial Hops is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Centennial Hops hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is centennial hops cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for centennial hops: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Centennial Hops is grown as an annual in USDA 4-8 (crown reliably hardy); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature centennial hops can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is centennial hops?

Centennial Hops is rated USDA 4-8 (crown reliably hardy) and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can centennial hops survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect centennial hops from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.