Finally in the ground!!!

Just finished my little hop garden and felt the need to celebrate! Living in Boise Idaho with a fine clay soil, bummer, amended with composted horse manure and crushed shale at about a 2/3 dirt to 1/3 compost and about 6 pounds of shale in each box. The boxes are cut up oak pallets that I got for $7, each pallet made a 2'x2'x2' box, lots of digging yesterday and mixing soil but finally have them in the ground.

Magnum 12-14% 1st box
Northern Brewer 7-11% 2nd
Centennial 9-11% 3rd
Golding 4-7% 4th
Willamette 4-6% 5th
Cascade 4-7% 6th and 7th

They are on a drip system with adjustable emitters so. The plan for next year is to build trays in between each of the boxes to lay a couple bines in for propagation.

I will be running the bines in a z pattern between the metal post for the fence. Hopefully it gives me enough separation, but I think that is a matter of paying attention to them, we will see, first attempt and i never just try to do it small, my first batch of beer was an all grain and have never looked back.


Let me know what you think or any concerns.

Thanks, Curtis

I'd be concerned that the oak will rot over time, although it might not matter, it could be that by the time the oak boxes rot, you will have instead a nice rounded mound wiht lots of hops growing out of it. -

The picture looks awesome. I don't see it, but did you say you put in an irigation system? What are you going to use to go above the fence height?

The drip will run down the bottom horizontal on the fence. It is back to the back corner of the lot for landscaping, so all I need to do is run the line and the 1/4 inch emitters. I am going to train the hops at an angle the next pole then back then back again, should give me about 24' of "horizontal" room. I am going to take a 6" eye bolt and drill/tap them into the fencing post so that should give me about 8-9" inches standoff from the fence, i am not to concerned about the boxes rotting out, I will oil the outsides and the inside should hold up long enough. We will see...

Now back to the 2 tier 1 pump, rims build.....

What I was thinking for trellis, if this doesn't work in year 1, next year will have a regular trellis system above.

This zig zag idea looks cool and i may co opt it for one of my spots. Can't wait to see what happens.

Haha, I thought this was going to be ANOTHER bin Laden/Go America thread...