Hop growing for 2007

[oblivious]

delboy, mysterio do you think you will get a crop this year and when do they need to be planted?

[bitter_dave]

Very nice pictures, you put my pathetic hops to shame.

I think percy thrower would have had a hard time growing hops in scotland

... perhaps someone who was still alive might find it easier?

My hops have been a disaster again this year, and I should have the perfect climate for growing them living in Sussex

[delboy]

Very nice pictures, you put my pathetic hops to shame.

I think percy thrower would have had a hard time growing hops in scotland

... perhaps someone who was still alive might find it easier?

I don't know dave he'd certainly make a good compost

[delboy]

delboy, mysterio do you think you will get a crop this year and when do they need to be planted?

I would be amazed if i got a single hop this year, i mean i've only had to cut the lawn maybe 3-4 times this whole year, so little growth has there been.

AFAIK you get them into the ground in spring (when the overnight frosts stop).

I got my plants from beer essentials a specialist beer shop on the mainland that dabbles in supplying hops (non-profit ). They were only a few quid each and much cheaper than getting rhizomes, but the plant has to build up an extensive root system (could be a few years) before you will see much of a harvest. When buying a rhizome you are buying all that stored up energy in a root just waiting to send out strong shoots.

From what i've seen on the forum the rhizomes seems to give much better growth than the beer essentials plants in the first year, so if you are impatient and not to worried about the added cost thats the way i'd go.

[Chappie519]

My hops were planted a bit late this year but seem to be coming on quite well (for the highlands) Its about 5.5 foot high now, not sure if il get a crop this year but theres smaller shoots coming up all around the base so i think next year will perhaps produce a harvest.



This is the Fuggles at 5.5' high. The Goldings isnt growing as fast but is growing.

Hope this gives some scottish people hope that they can just about grow up here!

Chappie

[mysterio]

delboy, mysterio do you think you will get a crop this year and when do they need to be planted?

It looks like I'm starting to get a few hop buds on my Challenger which is having a growth spurt at the moment, although its also covered in aphids. I think I planted around April. It would be cool even to just get a few hops this year to brew with. I'll post another photo in a minute.

[mysterio]

Here's Challenger:



And a close up of one of the bines, I can't tell if those are teeny tiny hops starting to grow or just more lateral shoots.

[delboy]

well done lads , mine are pitiful in comparison, are were they rhizomes or plants?

[mysterio]

Mine were rhizomes. The Fuggle is a bit spindly, and the Golding is sadly no longer with us

[Reaper]

Hi All
Just to let you know how my hops are coming along this year.

[Vossy1]

That's got to be a good yield for the size of plant ...any secrets, feeding etc

[Reaper]

Just planted it next to my shed, gave it a bit of tomato food 2 or 3 times this year. It is south facing too, so it got the sun all day.

[oblivious]

Sweet, when do you harvest?

[markbatten]

We planted our two Fuggles out in April (bought as root things from The Hop Shop).
They are about 8-9 ft high, covering our pergola.
They have apparently done well for their first year.
We dug them into the ground and have done abolutely nothing with them except the odd watering during the summer (remember those nice couple of days in June!).




Just the harvest and drying left..........

[SteveD]

Here's how mine are doing. These are both first year plants, planted in March.

Both plants, one each fuggles and east kent goldings, have three main bines and are trained vertically to 6 feet, then horizontally to make a T shape with two bines one way and the third the other way. Each bine is about 25 feet so the plants are about 40' tip to tip

Right hand tip of the fuggle


Part of Left hand branch of fuggle,


Part of Right hand branch of fuggle


Part of right hand branch of golding


Quite a few of the goldings on the left hand branch are browning like this - and the odd fuggle. Does that mean they should already have been harvested earlier - 1st week Sept is normal - or is there some other problem?


Cheers,

Steve