tjpfeister
Well-Known Member
Hello everybody,
My name is Tim, and I have an addiction. In 2011 I planted my first hops. Since then this forum has been a major source of information and inspiration, so I would like to say "Thank you" to GVH_Dan, PleasantValleyHops, HALIFAXHOPS, and everyone else that participates and supports these forums.
This thread will likely be updated quite sporadically as what spare time I have with a full time job, a pregnant wife, and two step children is being devoured by the construction of this yard. Heck, I'm tossing this onto the forum as I pound down my coffee and get ready to go back out to the field. So without further ado:
This is my fifth growing season. I had a small 20 plant project up in Green Bay, but abandoned that when I moved down to Oshkosh, WI to live with my (now) wife. Last year I grew some plants in our garden and in planters, but these were for decoration of our wedding and, obviously, I found myself staring at our 12x6 garden this spring thinking "this is not big enough." Also, our backyard is shadier than preferable, not all that large, and mostly is part of a rental property.
So I needed to find some ag land. As luck would have it, I knew of a 3/4 acre plot behind the old location of the shop I work for. This plot sits out front of an apple orchard and has been used to grow pumpkins and such in the past, but has gone unused for the last two years. So I approached the owner...
I grinned and chuckled along with the owner as I assured him that I said "hops" not "pot." I carefully explained and repeated myself that the plants are perennial and require a large trellis. This did not bother the owner and he inquired about how much area I needed. I gave him a rough estimation of how large I intended to start and informed him that I may like to extend it in the future. An agreement was made and we shook on a very fair $50 per year (Very fair on account of the fact that the plot is just outside of the city, literally 1/4 mile from my house). I did ask about signing a contract, but did not push for one (this year) as I did not want to inadvertently insult the man when I had no where else to go... That said, next year, once we grow an understanding/working relationship I will get him to sign a basic ag land rental contract, to protect my property should the land suddenly be bought by someone else (it happens).
Moving on.
My youngest step-son and I potted our rhizomes because I knew that we were behind schedule and that it was going to take a few weeks to plan and build. If there is one thing that GVH_Dan has said repeatedly, it has been to build the trellis THEN plant the hops!
So potted plants have been sitting behind the (new) shop while I built and planned the trellis, receiving light watering every other day. About 70% of them are now showing signs of life. Meanwhile, all of my second year plants are going bananas... Pressure is on to get this trellis built!
Rewinding a little bit; the trellis has been a series of concessions and set-backs. I would prefer not to hear too much criticism over my design, as I am well aware of where the weaknesses are. The cost of this "little project" has been getting away from me and SWMBO caught wind of what I was spending... Turns out, she wants to use this money to buy stuff for our unborn child... Is she crazy? It's hop season! LoL. So yes, some of these concessions were made because of money, others because of materials available, timeframes, and the fact that I have to do much of this work myself (and I don't own a tractor).
So I cut back the size from 99 plants to 66. I decided to space 3 rows of plants 10' apart. This is a little smaller than industry standard, but I don't have a tractor and didn't want to upset the land owner by going too big too soon. The plant spacing will be 3' with poles at 0, 36, and 72 feet; placing 11 plants between each pole. I will be planting 3 varieties: cascade, centennial, and chinook; 1 variety per row.
The top 18" of soil is nice and loose as it is disced (terminology?) twice per year, even though it hasn't been used. Unfortunately, I do not have time for analysis, so I intend to use some backyard practice and till in some composted manure prior to planting the rows. Drip irrigation will be used (the drums are set aside at the shop) and additional fertilizer can be added that way in the future.
The posts. Ugh. The posts. I wanted 18' trellises, but it just wasn't going to happen. Money and lack of equipment nixed that height. I settled on pressure treated 4x4x20's. These could be special ordered in for me for a reasonable $35 (minus 11% rebate) each. It took a week to get the poles in. In the mean time I paced the field, measured, and planted flags to mark post locations.
When the posts arrived, a friendly kid with a forklift managed to break one... Setting me another week behind.
Well, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep moving. I got the hardware installed on the poles and attempted to dig the postholes. To keep the hardware snug, I drilled 23/64" holes and knocked the 3/8" bolts through with a hammer...Don't ask how, but I managed to crush my thumb. Splattered it real good. Nail hasn't fallen off yet, but It rendered the rest of my work for the day one-handed.
My name is Tim, and I have an addiction. In 2011 I planted my first hops. Since then this forum has been a major source of information and inspiration, so I would like to say "Thank you" to GVH_Dan, PleasantValleyHops, HALIFAXHOPS, and everyone else that participates and supports these forums.
This thread will likely be updated quite sporadically as what spare time I have with a full time job, a pregnant wife, and two step children is being devoured by the construction of this yard. Heck, I'm tossing this onto the forum as I pound down my coffee and get ready to go back out to the field. So without further ado:
This is my fifth growing season. I had a small 20 plant project up in Green Bay, but abandoned that when I moved down to Oshkosh, WI to live with my (now) wife. Last year I grew some plants in our garden and in planters, but these were for decoration of our wedding and, obviously, I found myself staring at our 12x6 garden this spring thinking "this is not big enough." Also, our backyard is shadier than preferable, not all that large, and mostly is part of a rental property.
So I needed to find some ag land. As luck would have it, I knew of a 3/4 acre plot behind the old location of the shop I work for. This plot sits out front of an apple orchard and has been used to grow pumpkins and such in the past, but has gone unused for the last two years. So I approached the owner...
I grinned and chuckled along with the owner as I assured him that I said "hops" not "pot." I carefully explained and repeated myself that the plants are perennial and require a large trellis. This did not bother the owner and he inquired about how much area I needed. I gave him a rough estimation of how large I intended to start and informed him that I may like to extend it in the future. An agreement was made and we shook on a very fair $50 per year (Very fair on account of the fact that the plot is just outside of the city, literally 1/4 mile from my house). I did ask about signing a contract, but did not push for one (this year) as I did not want to inadvertently insult the man when I had no where else to go... That said, next year, once we grow an understanding/working relationship I will get him to sign a basic ag land rental contract, to protect my property should the land suddenly be bought by someone else (it happens).
Moving on.
My youngest step-son and I potted our rhizomes because I knew that we were behind schedule and that it was going to take a few weeks to plan and build. If there is one thing that GVH_Dan has said repeatedly, it has been to build the trellis THEN plant the hops!
So potted plants have been sitting behind the (new) shop while I built and planned the trellis, receiving light watering every other day. About 70% of them are now showing signs of life. Meanwhile, all of my second year plants are going bananas... Pressure is on to get this trellis built!
Rewinding a little bit; the trellis has been a series of concessions and set-backs. I would prefer not to hear too much criticism over my design, as I am well aware of where the weaknesses are. The cost of this "little project" has been getting away from me and SWMBO caught wind of what I was spending... Turns out, she wants to use this money to buy stuff for our unborn child... Is she crazy? It's hop season! LoL. So yes, some of these concessions were made because of money, others because of materials available, timeframes, and the fact that I have to do much of this work myself (and I don't own a tractor).
So I cut back the size from 99 plants to 66. I decided to space 3 rows of plants 10' apart. This is a little smaller than industry standard, but I don't have a tractor and didn't want to upset the land owner by going too big too soon. The plant spacing will be 3' with poles at 0, 36, and 72 feet; placing 11 plants between each pole. I will be planting 3 varieties: cascade, centennial, and chinook; 1 variety per row.
The top 18" of soil is nice and loose as it is disced (terminology?) twice per year, even though it hasn't been used. Unfortunately, I do not have time for analysis, so I intend to use some backyard practice and till in some composted manure prior to planting the rows. Drip irrigation will be used (the drums are set aside at the shop) and additional fertilizer can be added that way in the future.
The posts. Ugh. The posts. I wanted 18' trellises, but it just wasn't going to happen. Money and lack of equipment nixed that height. I settled on pressure treated 4x4x20's. These could be special ordered in for me for a reasonable $35 (minus 11% rebate) each. It took a week to get the poles in. In the mean time I paced the field, measured, and planted flags to mark post locations.
When the posts arrived, a friendly kid with a forklift managed to break one... Setting me another week behind.
Well, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep moving. I got the hardware installed on the poles and attempted to dig the postholes. To keep the hardware snug, I drilled 23/64" holes and knocked the 3/8" bolts through with a hammer...Don't ask how, but I managed to crush my thumb. Splattered it real good. Nail hasn't fallen off yet, but It rendered the rest of my work for the day one-handed.