Tag: Farming

Last year I put them in the ground in late april. This year by that time, they were starting their way up the climbing lines. Last year they did ok, but my lack of diligence watering them, and fertilizing them hindered their growth significantly. I managed to only get a few cones last year, but nothing note worthy. After last years watering struggles, I decided to get a watering setup so that I ensure they were getting regular amounts of water. It seems to have paid off. Since mid may I’ve watered 2x a day, for about 20 minutes. I made a simple drip irrigation system with a hose we were going to throw away, a hose cap, and $30 programable water timer. If you do any gardening, are forgetful, lazy, or just gone on a regular basis It’s well worth it.

I’m not going to lie my hop plants look terrible. While this has been a really good year for growing hops, I’ve only had so so success. This is my first year growing hops, so I didn’t expect much as the plants establish their roots. I also didn’t get them into the ground until late in the season, despite our warm spring. The old rhizomes I purchased last year didn’t sprout, so I purchased a new set of plants rather than rhizomes, Perle, Centennial, and Galena. Of the three purchased plants, the Perle completely died. The galena planting has done better, but the centennial is just now showing real signs of growth. I’m still hoping they will have enough growth established to withstand a New England winter.

When I think of beer garden, this isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, as a farmer brewer this is the first thing I hope to be able to product myself to include in my own beer.

What you see below is the fruits of a few hrs of manual labor, some unused and reused items from around the farm, and a few gifted hop plants. A kind soul, Lyn from Brew Free or Die (more about this later) was very generous and shared some plants with me, a cascade and Hallertau. Along side those two, I planted 3 other pairs of rhizomes Cascade, Glacier, and Columbus. The other pairs were purchased last spring, and due to poor planning on my part, never made it to pots or the ground. I do not know if they will sprout after such a long dormancy, so I have also purchased some additional plants (Perle, Centennial, Galena) that just arrived. After they harden a bit, I’ll look for sprouting bines, and make the call on which to keep / or pot for next season.