It’s been a while since I posted about my first foray into hops horticulture.
For a first year planting, I’m very happy with what is growing. 3 of my 4 plants took root, losing one nugget rhizome. They started VERY slowly, not peeking out of the ground until the beginning of May, but I also planted late in the season.
A trellis was my June project. I went simple. Two holes. Two posts. I got 12’pressure treated 4×4’s and dug down 24″ into the ground. Built a brace and cemented them in. Total cement level was about a foot and figured, with backfill, the weight of a few vines was not going to knock it over.
Once everything was set, I used a coated washline, two eyelets, and a turnbuckle. I affixed one eyelet and washline to the left post, then the other eyelet into the other post. The turnbuckle had a hook on one end that I ran through the open eyelet, so now as the weight of the vine may sag the washline, I can simply tighten the turnbuckle. Magical mechanics at work.
Finally, with my original purchase I got some coir yarn to lead the vines. Tied individual leads to the washline, dropped it to the ground, tied them to stakes and started training the established plants. It didn’t take long for the growing to really take hold. We have been skyward ever since, and all three plants have now reached 5′ tall. Because of the late start, I’m anticipating a September harvest. Even if it’s a small one with low alpha acid I’ll still be happy. — Jeremy Drey
