I've got a couple questions regarding scale for those of you who have been around the block a few times.
I have a small tract of farm land that my wife and I bought (about 10 acres) and built our house on. I have a clearing behind our home that I would like to put a small scale hop farm on. I want to do something that will allow me to start small (50 crowns, 25 of 2varieties). I want to do something that will allow me to expand in the future if I decide it's worthwhile.
As an electric co-op customer I have access to free telephone poles that the electric company has rejected for one reason or another. In the past we have used this for other farm related activities with no problems. My father in law has a horse ranch (190 acres) right down the road so augers and lifts to put the poles in the ground won't be a problem.
I'm thinking of creating two "lines" of hops, but putting the poles in the ground at a "to be deterimined" spacing and plant the hops ever 2.5 feet along the length of that line. I would suspend a cable between the two poles at or near the top and hand hop twine directly down to a stake in the ground at the crown. I would have 2 rows like this about 6-8' apart so I can drive a small garden tractor between the rows, and a different variety on each row. This would allow me to add on to the end of a row for more of the same variety, and my acreage would allow me to add future rows in front or behind these.
On to my question. When these plants begin to grow, they are going to put a lot of weight on the cable suspended between the poles. With a crown at ever 2.5' how much distance can I put between the poles before the weight of the bines becomes too much for the cable. The weight and tension of the cable has to be such that it, along with the weight of the plants won't pull the poles over. Has anyone set something like this up in the past? did you use guide lines for the poles to keep the upright?
My original thought was to put 4 poles in the ground and send the hops up yarn in a christmas tree fashion up the pole, but putting them in rows seems like it will be much easier to maintain the hop yard and possibly get more plants per pole.
Ideas suggestions?
I have a small tract of farm land that my wife and I bought (about 10 acres) and built our house on. I have a clearing behind our home that I would like to put a small scale hop farm on. I want to do something that will allow me to start small (50 crowns, 25 of 2varieties). I want to do something that will allow me to expand in the future if I decide it's worthwhile.
As an electric co-op customer I have access to free telephone poles that the electric company has rejected for one reason or another. In the past we have used this for other farm related activities with no problems. My father in law has a horse ranch (190 acres) right down the road so augers and lifts to put the poles in the ground won't be a problem.
I'm thinking of creating two "lines" of hops, but putting the poles in the ground at a "to be deterimined" spacing and plant the hops ever 2.5 feet along the length of that line. I would suspend a cable between the two poles at or near the top and hand hop twine directly down to a stake in the ground at the crown. I would have 2 rows like this about 6-8' apart so I can drive a small garden tractor between the rows, and a different variety on each row. This would allow me to add on to the end of a row for more of the same variety, and my acreage would allow me to add future rows in front or behind these.
On to my question. When these plants begin to grow, they are going to put a lot of weight on the cable suspended between the poles. With a crown at ever 2.5' how much distance can I put between the poles before the weight of the bines becomes too much for the cable. The weight and tension of the cable has to be such that it, along with the weight of the plants won't pull the poles over. Has anyone set something like this up in the past? did you use guide lines for the poles to keep the upright?
My original thought was to put 4 poles in the ground and send the hops up yarn in a christmas tree fashion up the pole, but putting them in rows seems like it will be much easier to maintain the hop yard and possibly get more plants per pole.
Ideas suggestions?