2010 Hops Gardens

Williams 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.
IMG_22261.JPG


From left to right. second year Chinook, Second year Cenntennial, Third Year Cenntenial in middle(cut back a bunch for friends and its a bit slow), second year Cascade, third year Tettnang, third year Hallertauer.

The trellis is about 16 to 17 feet from ground to top..The Chinnook is 3 to 4 feet above this and the Hallertauer is going accorss the top..Should be an interesting harvest to say the least.. A bit cool spring in Chicago but much better than last year..The Hallertauer grew bad last year but crazy this year..its hard to see on the pic but all have reached the top except the cenntennial that I cut from..it was a bit shocked..
 
Ok, what keeps this up? That is, from not swaying in the wind and falling down.

Equally important, what do your neighbors think. My next door neighbor thinks my 10' trellis is cool and he's a gardener so we get a long great. TWO houses down my neighbor thinks I'm crazy. I suspect if I went 15'+ he'd call the city.
 
Retrofit said:
Ok, what keeps this up? That is, from not swaying in the wind and falling down.

Equally important, what do your neighbors think. My next door neighbor thinks my 10' trellis is cool and he's a gardener so we get a long great. TWO houses down my neighbor thinks I'm crazy. I suspect if I went 15'+ he'd call the city.
Click to expand...

Well the bottom is well under ground.(3 feet).it sways in wind a bit but I support it to the fence as well. No complaints from the neighbors that I know..It looks natural..they can pretend it is a tree for all I care..The copper pipe looks nice and has a good green to it. The kids play baseball in the next yard so they can pretend it is wrigley field. The pipe is in several pieces..the top ataches to each leg about 3 feet off the ground..each leg is 3 feet under ground as well. This allows me to take it down each fall and put back up in the spring. So the neighbors dont have to look at it all year long..LOL but than again I give them beer so they don't complain.

I go out every day and cut a good 15 new shoots sprouting up..I think if I took a weeks vacation I would come home to a jungle for sure..I also planted a new Cascade..behind the second year Cascade. Plan to do a Harvest ale for sure..figure to get several pounds this year.
 
Quick question for everyone who have some good growth, so far. Do you train the "feelers" that come out the sides? I've got 2 cascades that are about 2' tall, and they've started sending out their arms. I didn't know if I'm supposed to train those, too? If not, should I cut them? They are very close to the bottom, so it's not like they will be part of the final harvest.
 
My first Rhizome sprouted about a week ago. Since then, it has only grown about 2 inches. Is this a normal growth rate? I water it every other day, unless it rains, and give it a good a soak. Should I water more? Or is this normal? Thanks for the input!
 
HopsMan said:
My first Rhizome sprouted about a week ago. Since then, it has only grown about 2 inches. Is this a normal growth rate? I water it every other day, unless it rains, and give it a good a soak. Should I water more? Or is this normal? Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

you might be over watering. i have heard that a good soak every other day or so is all you need until you get into the realy fast growth season.
:mug:
 
Every other day could be over watering. A young plant does like frequent watering but if you are soaking for a long time it could be too much. First year rhizome begins slow and might take a month before it starts to really grow. All you do the first year is let it set itself so it is strong for next year..thats all. if you get any hops enjoy but dont expect much growth.
 
I need a trellis - any suggestions?

I live in a townhouse, and have a 3rd year Mt. Hood that is awfully close to my neighbor's deck. I am considering making a PVC "T" and running some rope from it, as I have crudely diagrammed below.

Do you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

IMG_1206-1.jpg


IMG_1213-1.jpg
 
i dont think that location (in between the two porches) would be ideal as it would hinder the amount of sunlight to reach the plants after they sprout. id say bring the trellis away from the wall a good 4 feet or so..

also, which direction is that wall facing? south is best, for maximum sunlight exposure on the northern hemisphere.
 
My 2010 Hop and Beer Garden. You showed me yours, now I show you mine;)

Planted 4/1/2010 near Chicago IL. Cascade, Chinook, and Northern Brewer's. Dug 3 holes about 18 inches deep and filled with garden soil, mushroom compost, perlite and sphagnum peet moss for drainage, and slow release fertilizer. Took a couple weeks for all of em to break the surface.

Do not use Sisal Rope! For me it swells up with water and shortens its length. I did not account for this and it pulled my 5ft Cascade bine right off the rizome.

The ropes are tied to the top of an unused antenna.


Cascade is doin the best, about 5 ft today.


As long as I'm at it, here is the Beer Garden. One of the bushes are St Johns Wart. Last year the Japanese Beetles LOVED it, hoping it keeps them away from the hops.


Old Man River, came home to find all 200 lbs of him as a gift in my yard, he adds some character to the yard.
 
Jaysus said:
I need a trellis - any suggestions?

I live in a townhouse, and have a 3rd year Mt. Hood that is awfully close to my neighbor's deck. I am considering making a PVC "T" and running some rope from it, as I have crudely diagrammed below.

Do you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

IMG_1206-1.jpg


IMG_1213-1.jpg
Click to expand...

I would use your deck and attach 2x10 all along and have that create a wall/cover. You can create a bit of a canopy if you want to get fancy. Just drill them with screws right into your posts on your deck and put one piece of wood on top. if you want to get fancy create a support with additional studs and add some lattice ($10 for a 4x8 at Home Depot). Instant summer coverage - image being surrounded by hops in August.
 
Your association may not allow you to alter the building. If you can, I would put bolts with a loop at the end just under your awning, then run rops from there to the ground.

That would let them climb to their full potential.

I could also see using the corner of your deck as a brace and putting up a 10' pole, possible wood so it compliments the deck, then have the hops grow up that.

I would use a rope hanging from the pole to the ground, something where you can release more rope as needed so the hops can continue to grow.

My issue with a traditional trellis is trying to collect them at the end of the year. I like the hops in a straight line. Lower the rope, pick the hops, move on.

Hope the ideas help.
 
Thank you both for your suggestions... I was looking for something quick and easy, but it seems I overlooked the easiest option of using the deck.

P.S. my association sucks, but they have no real power - as long as my neighbor is cool with it I will be ok... and my neighbor is cool (she's a wine drinker though :( )

ETA: next year I am going to build a "privacy trellis" - I think that would be cool.
 
You gotta make the neighbor happy! I've got 14 10' poles in my backyard, I gotta make the neighbor happy! :)

I guess I want to add, I like your original design, I was just tossing out ideas to consider. I think if you ran your original system it would be fine. On the side of my house, I have the eye hooks and ropes and the hops run straight up the house. In my backyard I have an upside down "L" with ropes hanging from the arm of the pole so hops can run up those. At 10', I release more rope so they can keep growing up. If think any system will work if hops have the chance to grow 'up'.

The last point I would consider is whatever you do, make sure the trellis can support the hops in a heavy wind or storm. A crashing trellis will likely ruin your 1st year hop and even worse cause mistrust in your neighbor. Good luck!
 
Oh yes, the Mt Hood has already made it to the second story eave with the Cascades getting close. My new Chinook is however about a foot high. No bugs yet either!
 
^^^ Don't be too upset over the Willamette...mine did almost nothing the first year...and took longer than everything else to start growing. That is unless its really dead.
 
i have nothing above ground on it. i'm fearful if i dig it up, i could break off a shoot if it is in hibernation. next year i'll buy 2 of em so i have a better shot at it.
 
My willamette's is only 10inch tall and my cascades are over 6ft. The leaves and shoot looking healthy but it's just a super slow grower comparatively. Thee are first years for me too, but I'm hoping they will grow tall and healthy and maybe even produce a few ounces.

Stay positive :)
 
Geez, my Cascades are out of control - hundreds of flowers already, looking like more than last year even. Ridiculous - I will have to give out freebies to friends and relatives who brew.

The Mount Hoods, though, are pretty much no-shows for the second year in a row...but it's early.
 
Well, since I didn't spring to be a premium supporter, I can't - but if you send me an email address, I will send you a picture. I can hardly believe it myself.
 
I used 1 3/4" galvanized pipe, with half concrete footing tubes with a pvc tube insert, as the base. I use a turnbuckle to secure it to the roof of the garage. These are 20' tall, 8' wide. This way I can take it down after harvest. My hops are growing like weeds. One is 22' tall, and the next is almost 20'. I'm going to prune the tops to keep them at the 20' level, or slightly lower.

Hop Trellis.jpg


Bine Tops.jpg
 
I found these in my backyard last year. That is what acutally got me started brewing. I strung some cable and a ton of twine to try and make harvesting easier this year. These things are everywhere! I have no idea what variety they may be but they make beer!

just reaching the cable about 20-ft.

2010-05-30_09_02_31.jpg


the front section growing out of a pile of rocks​
2010-05-30_09_02_44.jpg


in the back. a bunch I could not get twines to.​
2010-06-01_08_38_08.jpg
 
I planted two Mt Hood plants a little late. But this is after two weeks, so I'm happy.

IMAG0066.jpg

IMAG0063.jpg
 
 
SAMPLER said:
Hree are the first pictures of my first ever Hop Garden. The plants are in ther ground and some are growing quite well other are a little slow. My trellis (modelled after Bobby M video and advise) has yet to make into the final assembly stages but hopefully by the end of the weekend it will be in place and looking good.

(from left to right: Willamettes, Fuggles, Cascades, Nugget)
HopGarden.jpg


Cascades
Hops1.jpg


Nugget
Hops.jpg


Here is most of my time was spent the last few days. The fmaily's new outdoor sitting area. Looking good and pretty darn enjoyable.

Garden2010.jpg


Cheers :mug:
Click to expand...

Good call on the Marigolds!!:rockin:
 
Here are my "hop people". They are about 12 ft tall wood frames that are attached to conduit ~6 ft into the ground. That way they sway a bit in the wind. There is 1 Nugget, 1 Cascade, 1 Fuggle and 1 Willamette. This is from about a month ago.

hop people 1.jpg


hop people 2.jpg
 
Here are my most recent shots, I'm wondering on some of them if they are ready to pick, they are browning...thoughts? (Click for HUGE)

 

Similar threads

shrews824
My First Attempt At Growing Hops.
2
Replies
41
Views
4K
JAReeves
JAReeves
TinkerLynx
Custom Kegerator
Replies
1
Views
225
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
Dland
Early flowering hops ID question
Replies
4
Views
826
Dland
Dland
R
Motueka Single hop Pale Ale
Replies
1
Views
804
redrocker652002
R
Rodent
Gardening: Raised Beds for veggies
Replies
24
Views
1K
Deadalus
Deadalus

Latest posts

Back
Top