New Hop Garden 2014 (pic heavy)

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
All plants are harvested. Great turnout by all plants. With the exception of cascade, all plants gave over a pound of dry hops each. Cascade only about 4.4 oz. Now I can't wait to use them in brews!

1409608174972.jpg
Chinook

1409608199985.jpg
Cascade

1409608226884.jpg
Nugget (top) and Zeus (bottom two)
 
Awesome! I'd love to hear/see so,e details on your setup. A pound a plant!
 
Jack_R said:
Awesome! I'd love to hear/see so,e details on your setup. A pound a plant!
Click to expand...

Zeus was the clear winner. As first year plants, I did not cut back any of the growth. I trained all the bines that came out of the ground. Zeus had about 8. Conversely, cascade also had 8, but had some major rooting issues early on. The fact that I got anything was great, let alone 4.4 oz. That was my expectation for all the first years. Nugget had 4 bines trained, and Chinook only had 3 come out of the ground. Since Nugget was a 3rd year plant, I hacked it all to the ground early on, and left all the others to grow and establish roots.

The tomato jute was a mistake I won't make again. It began to deteriorate mid July, just as the plants were becoming their heaviest before flowering. I had to tie down entire sections of bines so that it wouldn't collapse of itself. Next year I'll use a more sturdy nylon or biodegradable coir. I just don't want it biodegrading while the plant is growing.

I'll also add some of the screening I used for the oast to help separate the plants. I didn't have much of an issue harvesting, but about 2 dozen Cascade cones didn't make it to harvest because they were tangled into Zeus. I only found out a couple of days later when they started to dry out. This also could be a solution through restringing the plants different next year. I'm thank no of trying a zigzag on Zeus and Cascade, and helix on the Chinook and Nugget. Most of my cones were ready at about the same time, so I wasn't too concerned about early harvests.

I'm thinking of adding a timer and regulating the water supply through a drip hose. I'll also have to show my neighbor how to train the bines, as my mother in law didn't do it very well while we were on vacation.

Bottom line: I had a great time putting the project together and learning the nuances of low profile trellises. I wonder if the plants would have produced more had the had the opportunity to grow vertically, but I'm happy with first year plants giving as much as they did. Nugget only gave me 4oz. last year, so it quadrupled production this year. I can't imagine that the first year plants would produce quadruple next year, but I can expect at least a pound out of each, which is exciting. That more than covers my brewing needs for the next year. Can't wait until next season!
 
I took this picture of the freezer. It's a little ridiculous. I also showed off some of the "leftovers" from previous batches. It's over 5 lbs of hops total. I got the work cut out for me in the next year!

1409978398180.jpg
 
Are you still planning on harvesting some rhizomes this spring? I'm a little interested as I'm sure others on the forums are. This is a great thread and has me wondering if my plan for my 1 rhizome will give it enough space.
 
Zekk said:
Are you still planning on harvesting some rhizomes this spring? I'm a little interested as I'm sure others on the forums are. This is a great thread and has me wondering if my plan for my 1 rhizome will give it enough space.
Click to expand...

I'm sure I will have to trim back as they went bonkers last year. What are you thinking about as far as rhizomes?
 
I really need to clean up the weeds in the garden and add soil. Each crown has some great purple heads poking out. Nugget looks like the only one that would have viable rhizomes.
 
So far, none yet. I'm thinking sisal baling twine or Manila rope it it's cheap enough.
 
I certainly plan on doing something along these lines this year. Thanks again for the inspiration! I was also thinking about some sort of wire. I was wondering what others were going to use this year?
 
With all of this rain in Illinois, it's been hard to get out and do some work in the garden. I'm hoping that the next few days with start to dry out so I can get out there and begin weeding the boxes. My cascade is being assaulted by broadleaf something-or-anothers, and those don't need to suck up all my nutrients that are intended for this year's hops. :-\

It also appears that I can get several significant rhizomes out of the Nugget plant, if anyone is interested. There's probably 4-5 major rhizomes sprouting now.
 
I wish I had more space for another plant, I would take you up on that offer for the Nugget Rhizome. Let me poke around my property today after work and see if I can find a decent spot for it.
 
Love this thread! Just curious how many rhizomes of each did you start with, and how deep are the raised beds? I hope this year is as kind to you!
 
zarfus said:
Love this thread! Just curious how many rhizomes of each did you start with, and how deep are the raised beds? I hope this year is as kind to you!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I hope that you have as much enjoyment in following it as I do living it. I started with a gift plant of Nugget, Willamette, and Sunbeam in planters. Sunbeam is ornamental (even though I brewed with it last year, not my favorite.) so I gifted it to my mom. Willamette did nothing for me, so I also gifted her as well. I kept Nugget, which is now a fourth year plant. It is the largest of the crowns, taking up easily 1/2 of the 4x4 square. Cascade, CTZ, and Chinook were all field grade plants from Great Lakes Hops. I cut a small rhizome off of Nugget last year, which survived the summer and grew to be over 8feet tall. I traded her to a cousin of mine who also brews for some HB Belgian Pale. The raised beds are only 6 inches deep, more of a containment marker than anything.

Nugget threw a bull this morning. I had nothing, and suddenly there was an 8 Inch bine protruding from the ground this afternoon. She had full sun today, which she apparently liked. I have two brews in fermenters that have my homegrown Nugget, so I'm excited to try them. Last year I made a SH Nugget India black ale which went over well with my friends. I'm hoping this year gives me another excellent yield! So long as my lines can hold up...
 
thaymond said:
Thanks! I hope that you have as much enjoyment in following it as I do living it. I started with a gift plant of Nugget, Willamette, and Sunbeam in planters. Sunbeam is ornamental (even though I brewed with it last year, not my favorite.) so I gifted it to my mom. Willamette did nothing for me, so I also gifted her as well. I kept Nugget, which is now a fourth year plant. It is the largest of the crowns, taking up easily 1/2 of the 4x4 square. Cascade, CTZ, and Chinook were all field grade plants from Great Lakes Hops. I cut a small rhizome off of Nugget last year, which survived the summer and grew to be over 8feet tall. I traded her to a cousin of mine who also brews for some HB Belgian Pale. The raised beds are only 6 inches deep, more of a containment marker than anything.

Nugget threw a bull this morning. I had nothing, and suddenly there was an 8 Inch bine protruding from the ground this afternoon. She had full sun today, which she apparently liked. I have two brews in fermenters that have my homegrown Nugget, so I'm excited to try them. Last year I made a SH Nugget India black ale which went over well with my friends. I'm hoping this year gives me another excellent yield! So long as my lines can hold up...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the details! I'm starting this year, and would prefer to 'future-proof' my design, but plan on going with what you have here. Based on this thread, what do you think of this:
-minor size increase from 4x4 to 6x3...fits my space better
-keeping the boxes separated, not immediately next to each other (ideally with access on all sides)
-using thick twine/wire so it won't break halfway through growing

I have 2 rhizomes of 3 varieties, I feel like this is overkill for this year, but probably worth establishing now!

Edit:
"I planted mine in a bed of mushroom compost, manure, and topsoil in equal parts. 2 week fertilizer schedule from April to June with a 10-1 slurry of blood meal, and a weekly dose of 10-10-10. "

It seems like you have unleashed your hops, so not sure why I would stray too far from this. What's different from your '2 week fertilizer schedule' and the weekly does of 10-10-10?
 
zarfus said:
Thanks for the details! I'm starting this year, and would prefer to 'future-proof' my design, but plan on going with what you have here. Based on this thread, what do you think of this:
-minor size increase from 4x4 to 6x3...fits my space better
-keeping the boxes separated, not immediately next to each other (ideally with access on all sides)
-using thick twine/wire so it won't break halfway through growing

I have 2 rhizomes of 3 varieties, I feel like this is overkill for this year, but probably worth establishing now!

Edit:
"I planted mine in a bed of mushroom compost, manure, and topsoil in equal parts. 2 week fertilizer schedule from April to June with a 10-1 slurry of blood meal, and a weekly dose of 10-10-10. "

It seems like you have unleashed your hops, so not sure why I would stray too far from this. What's different from your '2 week fertilizer schedule' and the weekly does of 10-10-10?
Click to expand...

The sizing should be okay from 4x4 to 6x3. The idea being to maximize the growth capacity on all sides. So, if it is a 6 foot tall trellis with 1 foot rise per section of the rectangle, you'd be looking at 45+ feet of possible growth, assuming you'll run your bine across the top of the rectangle of the trellis. Chances are, you'll only need about half of that.

Definitely allow access on all sides! It was I Gigantic hassle in training only having access to half of the sides. Enough spacing to comfortably move is a must. Since my plants are established, I'll have to go through a ton of work to remedy this. I'll address this when I have to start replacing wood supports in the future.

Definitely use a stronger twine/rope. I will be.

The fertilizer schedule looks on par. It reminds me... I need to slurry up some blood meal and top off some soil! Thanks!

Please include pictures of your setup! It's very interesting to see what you come up with.
 
Definitely inspired by the original, my hop cage for this year has just been built! I used 2 x 4 lumber that I stained to prevent rot. The cage is only about 3x3 feet. Surrounding the bottom is some vinyl house siding to prevent the roots from spreading. It is buried 8 inches into the ground. I took thaymond's advise on space around the cage and left myself space on the backside against the house. I am hoping to build another just like it to the right in the photos, keeping a bit of space in between.

Question - what are you guys fertilizing with exactly? This my first attempt at growing hops!

Also, I plan to use 25lb test nylon line unless that sounds too light?

:) I'm excited!

View attachment 1429488284807.jpg

View attachment 1429488329233.jpg

View attachment 1429488348178.jpg
 
WilliamSlayer said:
Definitely inspired by the original, my hop cage for this year has just been built! I used 2 x 4 lumber that I stained to prevent rot. The cage is only about 3x3 feet. Surrounding the bottom is some vinyl house siding to prevent the roots from spreading. It is buried 8 inches into the ground. I took thaymond's advise on space around the cage and left myself space on the backside against the house. I am hoping to build another just like it to the right in the photos, keeping a bit of space in between.

Question - what are you guys fertilizing with exactly? This my first attempt at growing hops!

Also, I plan to use 25lb test nylon line unless that sounds too light?

:) I'm excited!
Click to expand...

Looking good! All you need is enough room to squeeze your arm being the trellis and the house to train it in the back. I would step into the cage to train before they became unruly. This year, with stronger tensile line, I am not going to worry as much about bumping a line. Last year, it would be mildly windy and begin to snap. I ended up using wire to tie the bines to the posts at certain points.

I use vigoro 10-10-10, blood meal, and bone meal. I used an initial mix of equal parts mushroom compost, manure, and topsoil to plant. I had weekly treatments (2 gallons per plant) of the recommended amount of the vigoro (usually on Saturday morning). I would then slurry up the blood meal bi-weekly until I started seeing cones. Then I switched to the bone meal slurry. I'll stay with this regiment this year, unless someone can steer me in a different direction for applications. This is on top of watering nearly daily in the heat of summer. I limit it to one full watering can per plant, which is two gallons. I also watched the weather to determine if I should water or not. If it was going to rain, I'd save the water and let nature do her thing.

Williamslayer, what's your plan?
 
Because I have never done this before, my intention was to use a standard commercial fertilizer ie miracle grow. my watering plan was to do two waterings 1 when I get home from work and another one at sunset. I get home from work around 1 p.m. just FYI. 2 gallons of water per plant?! Sounds like a lot, but again, I have never done this before!
 
I did put down a bag of compost and a bag of topsoil packed around the rhizomes when I first planted them. The soil in this area has a very heavy clay content. So I am hoping to leave some space around the plants for drainage. Is there a possibility of drowning these plants?
 
WilliamSlayer said:
Because I have never done this before, my intention was to use a standard commercial fertilizer ie miracle grow. my watering plan was to do two waterings 1 when I get home from work and another one at sunset. I get home from work around 1 p.m. just FYI. 2 gallons of water per plant?! Sounds like a lot, but again, I have never done this before!
Click to expand...

I'll water once in the early morning so as to not burn the leaves
with the mid summer sun. It cools the ground and absorbs it seems. I'll get home and the soil is dry in the afternoons. If you're starting with rhizomes, I'd go easy, water when the soil is about an inch or so down. People also set up drip lines on timers, but that's super serious. A cheap watering can puts me in the garden where I want to be anyway.




WilliamSlayer said:
I did put down a bag of compost and a bag of topsoil packed around the rhizomes when I first planted them. The soil in this area has a very heavy clay content. So I am hoping to leave some space around the plants for drainage. Is there a possibility of drowning these plants?
Click to expand...

If you over water, they will rot and die. You can always till in some sand or something in the bed in order to allow for drainage. It should be okay as long as you don't have standing water. That's a sure way to kill them or significantly stunt growth.
 
How many more clever folks are going to post about 2014 vs 2015 before actually reading the thread? :)

Awesome stuff here!
 
I just took the clippers and hacked everything down to the crown. All plants had very large bull shoots coming forth, so I cut them down in the hopes to get very vigorous and healthy growth from each crown. This year, I am trying to only use 4 total bines from each plant. Chinook, who was near my top producer, only did so with 3 bines. Nugget had many bines, and produced less. I'm going to give that a try to see if my yields are any different this year.

I also weeded the beds. They desperately needed it. Now they can grow in peace in their beds without weeds inhibiting their nutrient uptake. This weekend I hope to string up the lines. I'll be using sisal twine this year. It has a stronger tensile strength, so I'm hoping it can last through the full season. I was considering manilla rope, or a synthetic poly rope, but wanted something that will make harvest time easy and will eventually biodegrade. Well see how it goes.
 
I really enjoyed the pictures from last year! I planted Cascade, Centennial, and Northern Brewer rhizomes a couple days ago. I'm not expecting much from them as I only have 2 twine strings about 8 ft tall strung up for each rhizomes. You had no problem training multiple bines to the same twine right? I'm thinking of trying that but don't want to strangle any bines by doing so.
 
minusthebear02 said:
I really enjoyed the pictures from last year! I planted Cascade, Centennial, and Northern Brewer rhizomes a couple days ago. I'm not expecting much from them as I only have 2 twine strings about 8 ft tall strung up for each rhizomes. You had no problem training multiple bines to the same twine right? I'm thinking of trying that but don't want to strangle any bines by doing so.
Click to expand...

I had Zeus and Nugget with multiple bines per line. My line was the problem. Tomato jute is all but useless in this application. You should be fine doing 2 bines per line.
 

Similar threads

BugAC
Homegrown Hops prognosis - Southern Louisiana
Replies
5
Views
1K
BugAC
BugAC
S
Beer Garden Hops
Replies
8
Views
1K
sbbn
S
H
Late-season new hops bines
Replies
2
Views
899
mashpaddled
M
HM-2
New England IPA "Drenched In [Hop]": Single-Hop Hazy IPA "Framework"
Replies
2
Views
423
HM-2
HM-2
M
Pruning question
Replies
2
Views
930
messersc
M
BrewSwag 300

Latest posts

Back
Top