As some of you know, I work for Gorst Valley Hops in WI. We grow and help others to grow hops on the 1 to 10 acre scale then pelletize them for sale to craft brewers. I don't have a vendor's membership here because we really don't have anything to sell to the home grower...yet. (We sell rhizomes, but only in groups of about 100 or more.)
Due to a large number of requests for help in this area, we are toying with the idea of starting a web store specifically for the homebrew hop grower. Ideally it would provide production supplies, rhizomes, fertilizers, etc...everything geared towards growing hops in the back yard...even up to a few hundred plants. The idea would be to give people the jump start they need get a rhizome into properly amended soil as easily as possible so they can start growing.
Its probably too late for most of you since you are all ready set up and learned your lessons the old fashioned way, but would this be of any interest to the average homebrewer? Or is this something that should be left in the domain of the local homebrew stores?
Due to a large number of requests for help in this area, we are toying with the idea of starting a web store specifically for the homebrew hop grower. Ideally it would provide production supplies, rhizomes, fertilizers, etc...everything geared towards growing hops in the back yard...even up to a few hundred plants. The idea would be to give people the jump start they need get a rhizome into properly amended soil as easily as possible so they can start growing.
Its probably too late for most of you since you are all ready set up and learned your lessons the old fashioned way, but would this be of any interest to the average homebrewer? Or is this something that should be left in the domain of the local homebrew stores?