2013 Hop garden photo thread

Cascade Hops in the Hudson Valley, 2nd year

 

@ indytrucks...I don't think you need to drill a hole in the pole. What I do is wrap and tie some wire around the top (so it can't slip down the pole) with a key-ring or welded loop attached to the wire. I have one set-up similar to yours that is one long piece of SS rope that I run from an eye-bolt to the up to the ring at top of the pole, across the top, through the ring on the other pole, and back down to where it's attached on the other side. Since you already have the across portion cut and set, I would string separate guy lines up to each pole but the key-ring or welded loop idea should still work--you'd just have one end attached to the ring and the other down at the eye-bolt on each side. This is how I support a tee-pee set-up in my front yard...I'll try to get pictures posted in case that helps.

 

There's mushrooms in those woods!

 

That's quite a setup. You're halfway to building a house with that.

 

You aren't joking BB. That is an intricate setup.

 

Yea well my dad is a carpenter by trade and we wanted to make something a little different. The great thing about the setup it is pretty efficient and extremely strong.

 

Yep!!

Any more than that, and the plant in general will be spending too much energy growing/supplying nutrients to the multiple bines instead of the "chosen 3"

Those bines selected to survive will grow plenty of side arms that will produce a ton of cones.

Good luck!

 

Transplanted 4 centennial rhizomes into the garden this weekend. Coir twine is 20 feet up into a 60 ft pine tree

 

just an update, I've got 5 out of 13 that have broken through the soil..
2 of 4 - willamette, 2 of 4- centennial, 1 of 1 fuggles, 0 of 4 tettnang; catch up tettnang

and we're getting rain for the first time in 17 days hope the hops are as happy about it as I am (now I don't have to water them).

 

Agreed. Or run new cable from dead man up across and back down. That is how mine is done and slack in the dead man allows for lowering the line down for easier harvest.

 

Chinooks from Great Lakes Hops

 

Finally got the first bine to wrap around! 1st year Willamette. One of the cascade bines is about to make it too in another pot

 

My cascade starting to wrap - 3 bines here

Is my twine heavy enough? I'm seeing some really heavy duty ones in some of these pics...

 

I use the tradition coir twine, but only because I got it with my rhizomes. If not I'd have something from the hardware store. What you have looks fine. Wrap the ends of a short piece around 2 sticks and pull it until it breaks. Try to imagine if your hop bines will be that heavy.

 

Thanks

 

Williamette is what it is all about !

 

Looking north...


Looking south...



I'm headed to work in the morning, so I won't be back until Saturday. I figured with the rain (and possibly winds) coming in the next couple of days that I should prune them back and get them some support to cling to. Saturday will be a trip to the lumber yard to finish the north end of the trellis.

 

Agreed. Willamette is a beast. My 3rd year Willamette is around 10ft now with huge leaves and pencil thick bines. My 3rd year cascade is around 4ft with wimpy little leaves and skinny little bines.

 

Just depends on the Rhizome i guess..first year Cascade and mines already about 6feet tall with strong leaves, and its only been in the ground 30 days.

My Columbus on the other hand is maybe at a foot, barely even tall enough to start wrapping them up the twine.

 

Might as well add my bit here.

Sad that I didn't take pics of planting. I will be updating the album about once a week.

2013 Hops

 

2nd year mt hood

 

I agree as well, all of my Willamette's jumped out of the ground and several of them had reached the one foot mark before a single one of my three other varieties had.

 

Cascades are against the house with plenty of extra rope to let down and double over as the bines climb. Nugget and Fuggle are under the PVC "T". Cascades are in their 3rd year, fuggle and nugget in the second year.

 

19 days after I planted these first years. Thanks to all for all the trellis innovations. I'm sure I'll need a support system soon, and I'm getting lots of great ideas.



Willamette



Cascade

 

Looking good!

 

I might have done this differently if I had researched more before hand, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out in the end. It is about 11' square and the posts are 20' tall. It was moved into place last night over top of two of my raised beds. I've got 2 each Magnum, Centennial, Cascade, and Willamette in the ground. 6 of the 8 have sprouted, and a few have multiple sprouts already. I'm trying to keep my expectations low for the first year, but I'm excited. Next up is the gravity feed watering system.

 

Took a look to see what i had today and here we go the

magnum updated pic..




Nugget

 

This salvageable? Came in the mail today. Hard to tell from the picture but the green is real soggy and I guess a bit rotten. The root part seems alright but it's in a little rough condition. Recommendations appreciated!

 

How does the brown part feel? If it is spongy or mushy it's probably shot. If its firm you might have a chance. Cut away all the green.

 

2nd year cascades not doing bad at all took off like a rocket this year kinda hard to tell by the picture I know.

 

I think it was firm enough. There were a couple bones that didn't seem to bad. I cut off all the rotting vines and planted and lightly watered it

 

It'll be fine, plant it and leave it be for a few days, I don;t agree with cutting away the green, plant it so that the green is above the dirt getting sunlight and you should be good to go.

 

For anyone denying the awesome vigor of willamette, 2 pictures:

1st is a 3rd year cascade. This is the biggest leaf on the plant. Longest bine length ~5ft
2nd is a 3rd year willamette. This is an average sized leaf on the plant. Longest bine length ~10ft

 

Cascades and nugget winning the race at 12+ft just like last year. Centennials and willimette not far behind. Cascades are throwing out side arms and cones forming all over.

 

I finally built my first hop support structure using the setup I saw for tomatoes and posted a few weeks back.

Four 10' pieces of 5/8 rebar
Two 10' pieces of 3/8 rebar
Zip ties (to be reinforced with wire as soon as I find something suitable in the garage)
Gardeners sisal
Total cost $45

I bent the 3/8 rebar into arches leaving about two feet at each end straight to attach to 5/8 rebar. It was very easy to work it along holding the point to be bent under my foot and pulling up on the end. I just started in the middle and worked out both ways until I had something that looked pretty even and then did the other one to match. I then Zip Tied them together one way and then the other to make a crossed arch. Then I put the four uprights into the ground about 2-2.5 feet as vertically as I could. I perched the crossed arch on a ladder and loosely attached each end with zip tie, got on the ladder and shimmied it up (this was a pain because the zip ties kept slipping off the ends). Then I cinched one zip tie for each pole and added two more pulling them tight with a pliers.

The whole structure is about 10 feet tall (you can get longer rebar so you can go as tall as is stable). I decided for the first year to put two plants of different varieties on one structure. I realize I may be sorry I did this so I may want to transplant so I have two plants of the same variety on each. I trained one or tow bines from each plant up a string, two strings per plant, one running to each upright. I think it is visible in the pictures. Right now I just have Columbus and Cascade on structures. I will find a place for another one for my Kent Golding.

Pictures are not great due to position, perspective and lighting but, hey, I tried.
A couple of the structure and how it is put together
A couple of the plants showing two strings with bines beginning to be trained up them (I'm hoping the bines grab the rebar once they get going)
One of my post project refreshment (a job well-done)

 

Here's mine:

 

First year centennial grew about eight inches from friday morning to saturday morning

 

Off and running....