Starting a small hop farm!!!!

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PleasantValleyHops

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I will start this off by thanking everyone i have already Pm'd on here who has been more than helpful on everything. I Cant wait to share everything with you all as i grow!!!

Well I am officially starting a small commercial hop farm. Im not claiming to be any expert at all so any advise will be given a good thought. Obviously im starting it a little late but w how the weathers been in the frederick md area im fine w planting this late. As far irrigation goes ill be using 4-300 gal totes w drip irrigation off that. I know people talk about building a trellis befor u ever plant but im aware of the possible damages and ready for them. So we r planting all rhizomes this year and trellis will be winter to early spring., so i set a budget and went from there with what i can do.. i knew i could only spend a certain amount on rhizomes and Paul from Willamettevalleyfarms.com was great.he worked with me and narrowed down what i can be successful with and what they had left.. ordering rhizoms in june arent that easy!!!! this is what we decided with,

we are going to start with
1000 Cascade
100 Centennial
300 Magnum
200 Gelena
For a grand total of 1600 Rhizomes!!!! Below is what i came home to on tuesday after work.. all bags were labeled well and look great.. sorry, these are the only pictures i have due to working 14 hours that day so all i wanted to do was relax for a bit..


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now i know i will prob get mixed feeling but im going with a post hole digger Pto attachment and drilling each hole for my precious rhizomes.. i figure the extra work will be worth it.

Now i need guidance and encouragement!!!!

Thanks For reading

Cheers
Dan
 
If you are just putting those in the ground, I would definitely start them in pots.
 
GVH_Dan said:
Best of luck to you. Say goodbye to your social life...except for friends that come out to work in the field.

Hahaa. Im married w not much of a social life anyways. I have a few friends that i think will want to come check out/possibly help tend the fields!!!

As far as the pots thing. Not doing pots bc then next yr ill still be doing the same thing im doing this year and w using a phd and using composted soil in the hole. Its pretty much like using pots but the crown will be able to establish itself in the rest of the earth verses transplanting next yr and making them figure out where their at again. Pictures to come prob monday of the weekends progress!
 
Best of luck to you. Say goodbye to your social life...except for friends that come out to work in the field.

While Dan has been doing this longer and knows more than I do, I am going to argue his statement.

We bought 26 acres last September that needed a lot of work, and then this year planted 810 grapevines and 150 hop plants, with 450 more on their way. We still go out to parties and happy hour, it is just less than we used to. By we I mean my fiancé and me. I would think that if you planted 5000 you wouldn't have a life anymore but as long as you work hard on the days you are working you can still have a social life. Just make sure you have the right tools, and as Dan said some friends to help out :D. We've wasted too much time using inadequate equipment.
 
Thanks. I didnt want to challenge since i really dont know yet. But either way im looking forward to it. If at some point i hit 5000 plants then id assume that would be close to a full time job. As well yield enough to fund it as a full time job!! For now. Just less sidework! Which i rather not do anyway. And my wife prob would argue the fact that if im working that means im not sitting around wasting time!
 
I hope your field is close to home. Ours is 40 mins away so it gets annoying to commute there every weekend and a few nights a week.

The rhizomes I ordered from the same place you did come on Tuesday. We are going to pot them so it will be a nice comparison to the ones you plant into the ground.

Looking forward to seeing more picture and hearing about the progress.
 
Its actually at my parents property. Its a 50/50 venture and i pass by everyday on my way home from work. But either way its a 15-20 drive from the house. Speaking of work. I better get back to it before the boss realizes it!!!
 
Friends that come out to work in the field will usually find other things to do. The ones that come back are crazy and must have an eye kept on them at all times. Good Luck with the venture.
 
Yeah, most people help one day and then don't come back. I've been lucky that my bestfriend enjoys this project as much as me and continues to help out. Family also helps out a lot. Just try and find some cheap labor that can help out when you need more than just one or two sets of hands.

Friends that come out to work in the field will usually find other things to do. The ones that come back are crazy and must have an eye kept on them at all times. Good Luck with the venture.
 
Family...hah, I take my kids to out to work and one is gone within 5 minutes and doesn't come back until she hears the car door slam. The other kid though, a 10 year old girl who spends all her time knitting and crocheting can train bines faster than any adult.

One comment on your soil, consider amending the whole strip about 4 or more feet wide. It may be a tiny twig now, but that rhizome will grow into a crown a foot or more in diameter with rhizomes that stretch out several feet. So amending a little hole won't help you as much in the long run unless your soil tests showed it to be adequate.

On the pots...no, get them in the ground. While I will never, plant first and then set up the trellis, I understand. But if you leave them in pots, then there is the temptation next year to just leave them in for another year. Pretty soon you have lost several years of production. Get them in the ground but mark them well.
 
hopmomma said:
Gosh i wish you lived on the west coast so i could come play in your hop farm! Good luck!

We're on the west coast, and you are welcome to play in our 1/2 acre
 
GVH_Dan said:
Family...hah, I take my kids to out to work and one is gone within 5 minutes and doesn't come back until she hears the car door slam. The other kid though, a 10 year old girl who spends all her time knitting and crocheting can train bines faster than any adult.

One comment on your soil, consider amending the whole strip about 4 or more feet wide. It may be a tiny twig now, but that rhizome will grow into a crown a foot or more in diameter with rhizomes that stretch out several feet. So amending a little hole won't help you as much in the long run unless your soil tests showed it to be adequate.

On the pots...no, get them in the ground. While I will never, plant first and then set up the trellis, I understand. But if you leave them in pots, then there is the temptation next year to just leave them in for another year. Pretty soon you have lost several years of production. Get them in the ground but mark them well.

We got a 14" auger for the holes and figured 2' down should be plenty! so its not really just a small hole. I understand def wanted to get them as much amended soil as possible to help them along the way
 
I think what Dan is saying (I'd listen) the hole is more work and not going to add the amending needed. Add to the whole area and just plant in a small mound. Trust me after a year the hole you made will seem small.
 
ArrowheadHops said:
I think what Dan is saying (I'd listen) the hole is more work and not going to add the amending needed. Add to the whole area and just plant in a small mound. Trust me after a year the hole you made will seem small.

Im def listening to him for sure. I kinda have my arms twisted right now bc the only thing i have to use right now is the phd. So i kinda have to work w what i have deal going on right now. And amending a 4-5' section w a tiller and farm equip like that in my eyes would be quicker.

Now, since all i have to work with is the 14" auger. In your guys honest opinion. Is it worth going 24-30" deep. Or am i kinda wasting time. I will be mounding out of the hole as well. Or is 12-18" fine for depth if mound is prob going to be anywhere from 4-8" tall??
 
If you are going to drill it won't matter what depth you go to because it will be quick and easy, unless you have shale or large rocks in the top 4' of your soil. For grapevines(i know it's not the same) we drill down as deep as possible to break up any hardpan and give the roots an easier time getting deep. I would think it would be a good idea for hops as well.
 
bloh4126 said:
Yea you better watch your help when harvesting time comes around...I figure they can probably fit a pound in each cargo pocket...

I guess ill just have to tell everyone who harvest w me that theey have to bree we as well!!! Guess ill see where their ingredients come from
 
Do you have a well or pond by your hops? How much did those totes cost ya a piece? I got my three for 80 total though the guy gave me a good deal.
 
PariahVineyard said:
Do you have a well or pond by your hops? How much did those totes cost ya a piece? I got my three for 80 total though the guy gave me a good deal.

These will be filled via transfer pump by river. U def got a hell of a deal. My area these things normally bring anywhere from 80-150 each. I actually drove up ur way to hanover area to pick those up at $45 each. Im happy w that. If u have a line on cheaper ones. Im looking to prob pick up 5-10 more to always have on hand.
 
So here Are the before pictures of the farm. The beautiful blueridge mountains in the background. Wonderful farm dog. Her name is mollie. Th phd digger works wonders. Our holes were able to dig at about 2-3 holes per min at about 24-30" deep. As always have hit a few snags w some rocks on a few holes but still well below 2' down when hitting them. More pictures to come as we get things better set up.

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Everything sans a few plants are first year, so it will really depend on this years harvest, but I'm sure we will need extra interested hands to help pick.
Our goal is to expand our field by two times, annually.
 
odinsgift said:
San Luis Obispo, California

Would you be interested in trade. Ill come help harvest for some hops. It would definitely be worth the day trip from hayward.
 
These will be filled via transfer pump by river. U def got a hell of a deal. My area these things normally bring anywhere from 80-150 each. I actually drove up ur way to hanover area to pick those up at $45 each. Im happy w that. If u have a line on cheaper ones. Im looking to prob pick up 5-10 more to always have on hand.

If I can find the number of the guy I bought mine off he would probably give you a deal if you bought 10 of them. I'll look for it when I get off work.

Did you secure a place to get posts from yet? I need to find a place that has a good deal on posts.
 
PariahVineyard said:
If I can find the number of the guy I bought mine off he would probably give you a deal if you bought 10 of them. I'll look for it when I get off work.

Did you secure a place to get posts from yet? I need to find a place that has a good deal on posts.

Post r supposed to come from the utility comp. i have a friend who has lined that up for me. Hopefully start picking them soon to collect them til we have enough.
 
Long time no update so. Here are a few pictures ive taken and also my mother while putting in some hard work on the farm
I know its def not as cool looking at a field of hops w no trellis but we r working on that. Also when the drip irrigation gets done i will post pics of that as well. For now the tote on the trailer works ok. Takes about 5-6 hours to water everything.
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We are in the same boat, and I started to put my posts in today.
My rows are 14' apart, if that helps. Waiting so long to trellis has been an absolute nightmare, and weed/insect management have been a nightmare with bines growing eight feet into the middle of the rows and around 30 different nightshade weeds. I would only wish this much hand weeding on my worst enemy. I firkin hate nightshade.
 
gvh_dan said:
quick question, what the spacing between your rows?

12'. Ill be the first to say they look close in pictures and 14' wouldve prob been a little easier getting around but no biggie. Trellis design is next!! And stacking poles up. Ive been thinking def just waiting til feb to start the trellis. Then dont need to worry "as much" w running over bines that are growing in the rows.
 
So you decided to rototill instead of drill each hole? What are the big rocks there for?

Looking good so far. I want to see a picture in a few months with bines growing all over that field ;-)
 
PariahVineyard said:
So you decided to rototill instead of drill each hole? What are the big rocks there for?

Looking good so far. I want to see a picture in a few months with bines growing all over that field ;-)

No we did drill each hole. About 20 hours total in drilling. Since drilling spits dirt all around the hole we used the plow attachment to push the dirt back in. It looks like neat rows due to surface dirt. The large rocks in the center of the field are more of a place marker. The family dog is buried there. So there is a circle of. Course where we didnt put rhizomes there. But we say hopefully shes watching over the field!!
 
dcarroll86 said:
No we did drill each hole. About 20 hours total in drilling. Since drilling spits dirt all around the hole we used the plow attachment to push the dirt back in. It looks like neat rows due to surface dirt. The large rocks in the center of the field are more of a place marker. The family dog is buried there. So there is a circle of. Course where we didnt put rhizomes there. But we say hopefully shes watching over the field!!

How much land cddi you pant on? This is very cool stuff!! Ay local breweries preorder or are your looking to harvest and sell on demand?
 
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