Starting to get ready, Need imput

[winstonofbeer]

I know march is still a few months away, BUT i have to start early or it will never get done on time. That is the problem with working 4 jobs.

I have been looking at pictures on here of everyones plants and how they grow and gotten a few ideas i want imput on.


I am going to need poles....10ft long enough?

Then of course i want to put lag bolt on one side and a pulley setup on the other so you can lower the wire when its harvest time.

From one pole to the other. What is a suggested distance?
I was thinking plant at one pole. 10ft at other pole have anouther plant. Yes same kind.

How far apart width wise do the poles have to be?
Last question.

To keep the hop rhizomes contained so they dont invade the neighbors place, I am thinking taking a 10 gal bucket. Drill holes at the bottom for drainage. Under the bucket you have a chunk of weed fabric and then a nice layer of river rock surrounding the bucket for about 6 inchs or so.

And yes, The bucket would be burried in the ground... Reason for this is, I can lay weed fabric around all the hop area and not have to worry about weeds...Just cut around the bucket and no more freakin weeding.

Does this sound like a good idea? Something i am missing?

Basicly, I would like to grow at least 3 differnt kinds of hops.....The ones i use most common. Tet, Perle, Amarilo Just got to make sure i have enough room...Or do i need to rethink my plans.

Thanks for your help

 

[Randar]

I know march is still a few months away, BUT i have to start early or it will never get done on time. That is the problem with working 4 jobs.

Are you looking to grow in a trellis method or a teepee method with a center pole?

10 ft above grade is really a minimum requirement unless you are planning to train things horizontally once they reach the top.

 

[pilotdane]

I am not a follower of the "cut it down" to harvest method. Here in NC my hops kept producing and producing and never really stopped until we started getting frost at night. If I had cut the bine down when the first crop was ready I would have lost 1/2 my production.

I used 16ft long 6x6 pressure treated timbers for my uprights and they are burried about 3ft. deep leaving 13ft above ground and the hops quickly and easily reach this height. I have 4x4 going horizontally across the top of my vertical posts and the support ropes for the hops hang from this horizontal. At harvest I lean my ladder against the horizontal.

As for the buckets. The hops will probably outgrow the bucket in the first season. You could cut the bottom completely out of the bucket so you have your plastic ring for easy lawn care. I started a Cascade from a cutting this spring and by the end of the season I had 3/8" diameter roots growing out the bottom of the 5 gallon pot and into the ground underneath.

Plant one variety on one pole. My bines are spaced 4-5ft. apart and it is a weekly chore untangling them from each other. The arms they send out reach out 3-4ft. from the main bine so I would consider 8ft. between different varieties a minimum.

 

[Randar]

I used 16ft long 6x6 pressure treated timbers for my uprights and they are burried about 3ft. deep leaving 13ft above ground and the hops quickly and easily reach this height.

That's exactly what I did. Found a sweet deal on those posts too ($5 each!). I have 14 plants on 28 stringers hanging from wire rope along 2 strings ...

Haven't had too much trouble with intertangling...

 

[winstonofbeer]

Thanks for posting your pic. Was thinking of somewhat of what you have.

I see you have 6 plants. I assume they are all the same variety?

Randar...If you could clarify a wee bit more you kinda lost me.
14 plants...28 stringers " 2 wires from each plant to the rope" along 2 strings " ? "

sorry for the stupid question...Just want to make sure i do this right the first time.

 

[Randar]

Imagine 2 poles spaced some distance apart with a wire strung tip-to-tip. Basically, I have 2 of these stringers set up. The wire goes through a pair of eye-bolts and down to an earth anchor with a tensioner in the line path to allow me to adjust the tension of the wire.

Imagine that previous picture with only the end posts and a wire across the top. Each plant/mound has 2 strings to climb placed vertically to look like a "V". This is basically how it is done commercially.