First year setup & results

Getting ready to harvest our first year Cascade and Columbus plants on Sunday for a Wet Hopped Blonde Ale and wanted to share the setup we used and the results we had.

We live in Gaithersburg, MD, for those who want to compare planting/harvest dates regionally.

We ordered 4 Rhizomes from More Beer and they were delivered on 3/10. The order included Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Nugget Rhizomes. They were kept them in the original packages in the fridge until planting on 4/21. This is how they looked on the day of planting:

For the planting area, the only choice we had was the backyard (southern exposure) that gets good sun in the morning/early afternoon but some shade from trees later in the day. We wanted to hops to grow at the end of our patio so eventually they could be trained to grow over the top, shading both the patio and rear glass door / window.

We dug a trench 12 inches deep and the length of the planting area (# of rhizomes X 18-24 inches). Ended up with an 8 foot trench for 4 rhizomes.

Next we loosened the soil at the bottom of the trench another 12 inches and mixed in compost.

For the trellis, we dug a 4 foot deep hole in the middle of the bed to secure a 16 ft pressure tweeted 4 x 4 post.




At the top of the post we mount two metal rods out each side for the twine to run up to.



The post was secured in the ground with one bag of quikrete and then added a border of pressure treated 2 x 6.

We mixed the soil that was removed at the start with compost and refilled the trench, ending up with a small mound to aid in drainage.



Our frost risk ends on April 16th but since the 10 day out look was warm we went ahead and planted on April 14th. We made sure to keep an eye on the overnight lows over the first few weeks, but it never dropped below 40.

We planted the rhizomes about 4 inches deep with any white shoots pointing upward



Finished up by adding a drip hose.

The Columbus broke ground on 5/16 with the Cascade's not far behind.



The Centennial and Nugget never broke ground. Looking back i think i planted the Rhizomes a little two deep and most likley they rotted.

After breaking ground the Cascades grew quickly.

6/5 - Cascades


6/5 - Columbus


6/12 - Cascades


6/12 - Columbus

6/28 - Cascade on left, columbus on right


7/27 - Columbus made it to the top and started growing over the partio



8/9 - we have hops!

8/17 - more hops!




In the end, I'm glad only two of the Rhizomes survived as 4 different plants would have been impossible to keep separate. For this year, we are just happy to have any hops the first year and are extremely excited to see what next year brings.

I'll be harvesting tomorrow and pitching wet as the the flame-out addition for a blonde ale. More pictures to come.

Ended up picking about 90 percent of the Columbus last weekend and using all !! wet ounces in a blonde pale ale at flame out. they smelled wonderful.

Columbus on the bine


11 oz wet


close up


flame out addition


Next time i use whole leaf hops (this was the first time) i will definitely be putting them in a paint strainer bag. i ended up getting only 3 gal of finished wort with the absorption and clogging on the valve.

picked the rest of the Columbus and Cascades last night. Didn't get much but figured i shouldn't let them go to waste. Can't wait to see how these do in the second year!

Columbus on the vine


Cascade on the vine


Cascade


Columbus picked


Cascade picked

My drying setup