New Hop Garden 2014 (pic heavy)

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thaymond said:
The garden spiders, orb weavers, and ladybugs do a bang up job at annihilating anything that flies in my hops. He's the overseer of insect extermination, 6-legged genocide coordinator, Harbinger of bug obliteration, Aphid Decimation Administrator. Pick your title. I call him Henry.
Click to expand...

Lol. I will look to hire Henry's cousin then!
 
Early July update: All is well. Very very well, indeed. They all seem to have reached final growth and have begun to bush out. Many of my canopy bines have sprouted tons of burrs and are still giving sidearms. You can see in each picture the light green new foliage vs. The dark green established foliage. I just hope that it translates to a great harvest, although that is nearly a month and a half to 2 months away... There's still plenty of time. It will be interesting to see how this year's harvest stacks up to the previous years. On to the pics. My camera on my phone is cracked, so excuse the blurriness on some of the pictures.

Nugget
View attachment 1467732330959.jpg
Zeus
View attachment 1467732454929.jpg
Cascade
View attachment 1467732472809.jpg
Chinook
View attachment 1467732483133.jpg
Profile
View attachment 1467732493799.jpg
 
July 20: just out watering the plants before our crazy heat wave. 3 to 5 days of upper 90s, with no rain chance in the forcast. My plants will need a lot of water to keep them happy. Each one ended up with about 10 gallons this morning. That should hold them over for a day in the heat. Since the foliage covers the soil, I don't have to worry about the mud baking the crown, which is nice.

I have cones that are at very different stages of development. Few are nearly ready for harvest, so I'll use those as my "samplers." They're the lucky few who get used as templates for readiness and crushed for smell. Some are just developing their cone form, and others are still spurs. Either way, it all gets harvested in early September when the vast majority will be ready.

I have some leaves that are showing some cal/mag deficiency, so I may gather some eggshell and Epsom and slurry that up for some foliar feeding. It's only a handful of leaves between the 4 plants, so I'm not overly worried.

All 4 have had no bine training sine about mid June. I've woven in a few sidearm that were getting ambitious, but there are many many tangles between the two plants. I am okay with this, especially after formulating some of the homegrown hop brews. I figure the tables can get packaged together as an overall blend. Since all 4 play nice in the malt, I can count some of the harvest almost like a fifth plant. It will throw off individual harvest numbers, but oh well. I still have a whole freezer of the stuff from last year. Which reminds me...brew day is Saturday. I'll be using another full lb of homegrown hops in another IPA just to make room for the harvest. If anyone is interested in a recipe, I can post it here. It is killer!

NuggetView attachment 1469017493568.jpg
ZeusView attachment 1469017505868.jpg
CascadeView attachment 1469017519317.jpg
ChinookView attachment 1469017530216.jpg
ProfileView attachment 1469017549008.jpg

More to come
 
Here is my variant of the "House IPA"
My hop schedule stays the same, but I'm going for an intense hop bomb. I increased everything by .2 oz. I try to keep it more balanced, normally.

All Grain
American IPA
Batch Size
5.5 gal
Boil Time
60 min
Properties

OG 1.059
FG 1.009
IBU 91 (estimated)
ABV 6.6%
Color - 10 SRM (estimated)
Balance - Very Bitter

Fermentables
8.5 lb2-Row (US)Mash
1.2 lbSucrose (Table Sugar)Boil (last 10 minutes)
1.0 lbMunich - Light 10L (US)Mash
5.0 ozCaramel/Crystal 120L (US)Mash
1.5 ozChocolate (UK)Mash

Hops (all leaf/homegrown - Alpha Acids estimated at lowest end of the range)
0.7 ozCascade (US)60 min
0.7 ozZeus (US)60 min
0.7 ozNugget (US)60 min
0.7 ozChinook (US)60 min
0.7 ozZeus (US)10 min
0.7 ozNugget (US)10 min
0.7 ozCascade (US)10 min
0.7 ozChinook (US)10 min
0.7 ozCascade (US)0 min
0.7 ozChinook (US)0 min
0.7 ozNugget (US)0 min
0.7 ozZeus (US)0 min

1 oz dry hop each (Chinook,Zeus,Cascade,Nugget) @ 10 days for 4 days

Yeast
Safale US-05Fermentis US-05

Extras
AmountNameTime
1.0 eachWhirlfloc Tablet10.0 min
 
 
Wow great looking cones. Your gonna have one heck of a job on your hands harvesting all that. How do you divide them up? 1lb bags?
 
olotti said:
Wow great looking cones. Your gonna have one heck of a job on your hands harvesting all that. How do you divide them up? 1lb bags?
Click to expand...

I'll package in 8 oz bags. It's a little more manageable that way. I might cut them to 6 ozers this year, and just have more vac bags. That reminds me, I gotta check how many vac bags I have left...
 
FourSeasonAngler said:
If you need help picking and packing let me know.
Click to expand...

I may take you up on that. I'm shooting for late August or early September for harvest. Well see with the Chinook and Cascade. They have both finished early as far as cone production, there isn't really anything new on the bines. Nugget is late to the party, as always. She just threw hundreds of spurs last week. Those would likely be my September harvest. Or not, they could surprise me.

I am hoping to harvest all at once. Even my mature cones have little lupin and aroma. They definitely have some maturing to do yet before I go and hack them down.

I definitely know for sure that I'll have rhizomes for next year on all 4 plants. I started a few in buckets this year, and they seem to be doing ok. I've left them to their own devices, so they're growing, but I haven't given them any attention, whatsoever. I was trying to prove that these are hearty plants that need little attention. I'd say it is working. Pics to come, it's 3:30 AM. Insomnia is fun!
 
Also, I came across a same date comparison of the profile from. Last year to this year. Very big differences in both pictures. One difference, for comparison purposes, is that I added the "X" design at the cage's crown with a vertical line to the crown. This allowed a bine to climb the middle and then wind around the top, providing the canopy look. I also fertilized less this year with chemicals, and more with natural ferts. Bloodmeal, bonemeal, coffee grounds, wood ash. I started the season with the 10-10-10, but I ran out and never replaced it. Everything else I had. I may start the year next year with a very high nitrogen fertilizer, as my N reading was low this year. You'd never tell by the plants themselves, so you'll have to take my word for it. Maybe I'll leave the cover of clover to naturally replenish the N in the soil.

Anyway, here's the comparison picture.

Aug 2nd 2015
View attachment 1470385921572.jpg

Aug 2nd 2016
View attachment 1470385962537.jpg

These plants are monsters. All they do is consume space, and provide fun little beer flowers. This is a fun project for me, I hope other readers are enjoying it too.
 
thaymond said:
Also, I came across a same date comparison of the profile from. Last year to this year. Very big differences in both pictures. One difference, for comparison purposes, is that I added the "X" design at the cage's crown with a vertical line to the crown. This allowed a bine to climb the middle and then wind around the top, providing the canopy look. I also fertilized less this year with chemicals, and more with natural ferts. Bloodmeal, bonemeal, coffee grounds, wood ash. I started the season with the 10-10-10, but I ran out and never replaced it. Everything else I had. I may start the year next year with a very high nitrogen fertilizer, as my N reading was low this year. You'd never tell by the plants themselves, so you'll have to take my word for it. Maybe I'll leave the cover of clover to naturally replenish the N in the soil.

Anyway, here's the comparison picture.

Aug 2nd 2015
View attachment 365029

Aug 2nd 2016
View attachment 365030

These plants are monsters. All they do is consume space, and provide fun little beer flowers. This is a fun project for me, I hope other readers are enjoying it too.
Click to expand...

That is a massive hop jungle....hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour

RMCB
 
Harvest on Chinook and Cascade may take place sometime this week. Chinook tossed another round of 4 foot sidearms in what seems to be over night. They're lower on the plant, so I may just cut apart the top canopy and harvest the bottoms later. The difference might be and extra oz of hops, so it will likely be a game-time decision. These are my ringers at harvest time, so I have to get a great yield this year. Chinook left me sad and disappointed last year. This year appears to be more banner than last, which is encouraging. Cascade made me proud last year, and I am hopi g for more of the same this year. We will see after its all picked and dried.

Zeus and Nugget are still forming their cones. The Zeus cones are super tight and heavy. They smell very dank, earthy, hints of pine and fruit. Again I'm likely to have 1lb plus in harvest, just by appearances alone. Nugget just began forming and will likely be the last plant to make it to harvest. They usually just have that earthy smell. I love having Nugget on hand at all times now, it's an easy go-to for any non IPA brew. Wheat beer? Nugget. Oktoberfest?Nugget. Wee Heavy? Wee bit o' nugget. Pumpkin ale? Nugget. IPA? Just add nugget. Love it.

NuggetView attachment 1472388894913.jpg
ZeusView attachment 1472388907652.jpg
Cascade View attachment 1472388920811.jpg
Chinook
Profile
 
Yesterday was harvest day. It took over 12 hours to harvest...with help.
For whatever reasone, everything tok like 4 times as long as usual. Maybe it was the football, maybe it was the beer... who knows.

I'll upload pics once the mobile app decides it's not going to suck.

Seriously.
 
Chinook
78.1 oz Measured wet weight
19.3 oz Estimated dry weight

Cascade
63.5 oz Measured wet weight
15.8 oz Estimated dry weight

Zeus
99.1 oz Measured wet weight
24.8 oz Estimated dry weight

Nugget
63.2 oz Measured wet weight
15.8 oz Estimated dry weight

Total
303.9 Measured wet weight
18.99 lbs

75.7 Estimated dry weight
4.73 lbs
 
Wow. Good harvest this year. Pics to follow, once mobile app for Galaxy S5 is done being a pain...
 
Chinook 20.2 oz
Previous 12.2 oz
65.5% increase

Nugget 17.6 oz
Previous 17.2 oz
2% increase

Zeus 27.5 oz
Previous 25.2 oz
9.1% increase

Cascade 17.8 oz
Previous 12.0 oz
48.3% increase
 
Hoppy2bmerry said:
Going to add it to the 2016 harvest thread? :rockin:
Click to expand...

It's all on there. I learned a lesson last year after dealing with sticky fingers for a few days after harvest and packaging: wear gloves. I bought the non-latex surgical gloves and used those for picking and packaging. That is a world of difference. I also don't smell like hops at work, which is also nice.
 
Seriously though, congratulations on a great harvest. I got started this past weekend, but kids and work have kept me from finishing. Hoping to do so this weekend!
 
WilliamSlayer said:
Lol, ummm... how is not smelling like hops a GOOD thing? :)
Click to expand...

Ha. My wife won't go near me after packaging. I had to shower several times. She hates the smell of hops.

I, on the other hand, could turn it into cologne, soap, and shampoo.
 
Leave it to a couple of nice warm days in February to rouse the interest of the Hop Growing threads again!

This past winter started off like a bear with extreme cold and snow. It tapered off at Christmas, and has been mediocre at best since. Maybe this is the climate change they talk about? Probably not.

The potted plants have some red nubs on them already. The mulched leaves and clippings are still resting on the crowns, and will probably be there until early March. I have a soil test kit that I'm ready to bust out and figure out what amendments I will need to do after hunting for Rhizomes. At the end of the season last year, I had several runners that were poking up at the corners of the bed, 3 to 4 feet from the crown. Some made it under the raised beds (don't tell my wife...) so I should have a lot of viable rhizomes this year from all plants.

I'll probably change up my fertilizer routine this year to compensate for the low N from last year, and get a quick acting high nitrogen fertilizer like a miracle grow to supplement the natural blood meal and soil amendments, like compost and manure. Even after those amendments, I was fighting an uphill battle in getting my Nitrogen levels regulated. They were consistently low in all beds last year. Thankfully it didn't impact harvest in a negative way, but I think about what could have been. There is always this year.

As always, more to come. It was great to see all of the other hop gardens that have been popping up in this thread. I'd love to see updates on those as well. Happy Hopping!
 
I think HOAs are for the birds. For this and many other reasons. But good on you for finding a way around their regulations and getting great harvests!
 
pelop777 said:
I think HOAs are for the birds. For this and many other reasons. But good on you for finding a way around their regulations and getting great harvests!
Click to expand...

The HOA serves its purpose, and I understand the reasoning why having tall structures in a residential neighborhood are frowned upon. It's a property value thing, and it's about being a good neighbor. This was a compromise in height in order to engage in a hobby. At the end of the day, I have a structure that isn't permanent and mostly meets the needs of the hops.

The only things I would do different would be spacing out the boxes and crowns further apart so that I can get in between each individual box, and have them on the north side of the yard (southern exposure). When I read this, I planted on the south fence (northern exposure). They still get sun, but not consistently and directly until April. Oh well, the things you learn.
 
PapaBearJay said:
@thaymond Where are yours at? Here's yesterday!View attachment 390208
Click to expand...

The few warm days we had gave me some red buds my Sunbeam and Chinook that were potted. We're back to near freezing and rainy again. I probably won't see any growth result for at least another month.

Don't you worry PBJ, the pictures are coming. You'll get your garden fix. ;-)
 
If you don't mind me asking, how many rhizomes did you originally plant? Just one per box?

I was originally going to go with a 12 ft trellis system but just read the community bylaws and they likely will rake me over the coals if I do it, hence, I found your thread. I am hoping that the deep frost level here won't kill any rhizomes I plant, but that's all part of learning. I am looking to build something very similar to what you have done here and hope you don't mind if I bombard you with PM'd questions? I have a few about managing sidearms and keeping eye on the main bines towards harvest so you know where/what to cut and what not to cut, but that's all in the future.

Thanks in advance.
 
bonecitybrewco said:
If you don't mind me asking, how many rhizomes did you originally plant? Just one per box?

I was originally going to go with a 12 ft trellis system but just read the community bylaws and they likely will rake me over the coals if I do it, hence, I found your thread. I am hoping that the deep frost level here won't kill any rhizomes I plant, but that's all part of learning. I am looking to build something very similar to what you have done here and hope you don't mind if I bombard you with PM'd questions? I have a few about managing sidearms and keeping eye on the main bines towards harvest so you know where/what to cut and what not to cut, but that's all in the future.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Bonecitybrewco, I used one plant per box from Great Lakes Hops. They established after year 1, and have begun to take over each box. I will learn more rhizome management and harvesting tricks this year. Once established, I don't really worry about frosts or deep freezes. Then again, you're in Saskatchewan, so your winter is akin to that in Game of Thrones... up North, past the wall, where the White Walkers roam. I do cover with leafy mulch for winter, but that's about it. If you have questions, feel free to ask them. I'd be happy to share the experience I have in this, even though it's limited.
 
Texconsinite said:
Year 2 Hops off to fast start down here in Houston. One hard freeze and they seemed to reset
View attachment 391373
Saaz
View attachment 391374
Multihead
View attachment 391375
Cascade
View attachment 391376
Northern Brewer

Willow Creek is starting to show little nubbins, but not as impressive as the rest.
Click to expand...

Man oh man, I can't wait for this growing season. Unfortunately, we just had a dusting of snow this morning. We're not safely out of the freezes and frosts overnight until April.

Are yours are all growing on different small trellises? Which one gave you the best results?
 

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