Just a quick update on my mini hop yard.
The Cascade plant is really climbing. Granted, I didn’t have it in the ground until mid May, but it’s showing huge gains just in the past few weeks (check out where it was just recently). Compared to the hop plants I saw at Barley John’s last weekend, I’m guessing next year it’ll be much further along by this point. No flowers yet, but those likely won’t come until mid to late summer. Also, my Horizon plant just started peeking out of the pot I planted it in, so I’m hoping it’ll take off in the next couple weeks. I’ll likely get another trellis and put it next to the Cascade plant, taking care so the two bines don’t mix in with each other.
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June 18, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Are you planning on having enough hops in coming years to use for homebrewing or is it more of a “how awesome would it be” type of thing? I’ve considered raising hops in the future, but I worry about the mixture of midwest weather and my inability to nurture plants. How long of a season would a small hops garden need?
June 18, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I’m definitely looking to use the hops for homebrewing. Most folks only use their homegrown hops for aromatic/dry hopping purposes versus bittering largely because you don’t have any real way of knowing the true alpha acid percentage, and therefore would have a harder time controlling the outcome. But with my three plants (Cascade, Horizon, Fuggle) I’m hoping to harvest 4-6 pounds of hops each year once they really start producing.
Cascade seems to be much heartier compared to the others I have. I’m no green thumb myself, but it seems like you really do need to find a spot with good, nutrient rich soil and lots of sun exposure. You could probably plant a rhizome now and get some growth out of it, but it likely wouldn’t be like a commercial yard where the bine can grow 15-20 feet.
June 19, 2009 at 10:18 am
I planted hops this year too, horizon and cascade. Like you, I waited until mid May because there was some late frost and I just never got around to it earlier. From everything I’ve read, I don’t think there will be much of a harvest for the first year. However, next year there should be plenty of hops.
I’m planning on brewing a harvest ale with wet hops, then vacuum sealing and freezing the rest for dry hopping and use as aroma/flavor hops. Pellets hold up well for bittering and, like you mentioned, you know the exact AA content. Plus, whole leaf absorb that much more wort and pellets are cheap.
June 19, 2009 at 10:27 am
Yeah, I’m not expecting much yield this year, if I get anything I’ll be happy. That’s a real cool brewing idea, kind of like Sierra Nevada’s Harvest Ale series.
I just noticed my Fuggle plant coming out of the soil this morning, may need to get a third trellis soon.
What’s your trellis system like?
June 19, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I’m still trying to decide on a trellis system. Fortunately the hop vines haven’t forced me to build anything yet. It’s tempting to go for the pre-fab wooden trellis this year, while the root system develops. Next year I might go with a large wooden or metal post on either side and just use twine for them to grow on.
June 19, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Looks good Aaron, can’t wait to see how high they get this year. I love me some Cascade… yum.
June 23, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Glorious site. I’m in a situation where I can’t integrate growing hops into my brews. 340 square feet in Pasadena is a bad growing terrain.
June 23, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Since I took those pictures less than a week ago, the Cascade vine has grown at least another two feet, and the Horizon plant is now in need of some support.
August 5, 2009 at 8:22 am
[...] you might recall, the Cascade bine got off to an amazing start earlier this summer. Shot up to six or seven feet within the first couple weeks, then it mysteriously tapered off for [...]