so the story goes something like this...

I will keep the blog posting relatively short. Doug and I are getting together shorty to record another episode of Home Brewing Perspectives. We are both really psyched to get the show rolling again.

My Cascade Hops never seemed to recover from the animal attack. Once the possum dug up my rhizomes, they never seemed to recover. I only got small vines (maybe 3 feet tall) and obviously no harvest.

I was luckier with the Brewer's Gold that I planted in my father's garden. We got solid growth, 5 vines at least 8 feet tall. The harvest was small (probably about 20 cones total), but I am completely confident that they will be coming back next year stronger with a larger harvest...pictures and more details to come.

Let me know how your harvest was this year. I hope most of you were luckier than I was this year!

Back in the Swing of Things...

So I think this is a valid excuse for falling off the face of the earth. Apologies to all the followers of this blog. Something crazy happens when you have your first child and everything else takes a back seat. Nicholas was born on 8/21/08...from the day of his birth he has consumed every waking minute of my "free" time. Hobbies didn't even cross my mind. He is now 2 months old and I finally feel like I have some time on my hands. I am back in work, and have a whole lot of catching up to do with a lot of people.

My tragic hop update is coming soon!

Missing in Action

Wow, it has been some time since my last post. It seems to me that I have been full of unfulfilled promises regarding this blog...but honestly there are times when life gets crazy and something has to hit the back-burner. Unfortunately the blog is what suffered. I am happy to report that things are getting under control (for now), but my wife and I only have 2 1/2 weeks until the birth of our first child so I don't necessarily expect things to get easier anytime soon. SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO! Doug and I will get back on track soon. Enough of that though...as for the hops.

The 2 rhizomes that were attacked by the possum are apparently dead. This is very unfortunate since the vines on these 2 rhizomes were the largest. The good news is the "forgotten" rhizomes which were left in pots on my porch are growing like crazy. I am in the process of building a new trellis to support them. Whats funny to me is that these 2 rhizomes were not "cared" for in any of the so called necessary methods. It just goes to show, sometimes plants just need a lot of sunlight, water, and to be left alone! Pictures to follow once trellis construction is done!

Updates from Mike from Collinsville

I've plugged in 2 new images that Mike from Collinsville sent. Looks like his hops are coming in nicely. Check out his slideshow in the sidebar...

Home-Brewing Baby Gear

We briefly discussed some "baby" clothes that I sent to Doug's son Luke. In case anyone is interested, I've made them available for sale! They are also available as body suits and bibs.

Check out the link if your interested. I promise all proceeds will go to beer and brewing.

http://www.cafepress.com/redcardgear/5595199

the story...

If you haven't listened to the podcast...(yes, we're back and recording) check it out! There is a story at the end in the Hop Corner that is definitely worth a listen. In the next few days I will post the story up here as well, but for now...I'll push for everyone to listen the the new episode!

Update from Josh from Tulsa, OK

I got an update from Josh. He's changed his Hops Tracking to its own blog (separate from brewtech). Both are worth a read...especially if you want to be depressed about your hops growing. Either Josh is a master gardener, or its the soil in Oklahoma...either way he has some impressive plants.

Here's the link to his new blog. I've also updated it in the sidebar of my blog.
http://hopflavor.blogspot.com/

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

Sorry for the delay in the postings. Things got crazy busy at the end of the school year, but now I'm on vacation so I should have lots of time to update and add pictures...

These pictures were taken about 4 weeks ago. As you can see the growth isn't great...

New Link!

Check it out! Josh from Tulsa, OK has sent a link to his blog. Another great resource in our quest to eliminate the hops shortage!

Nothing to do with Hops...

So really this has nothing to do with hops, but I wanted to extend an online congratulations to Doug and Sarah. They had a healthy baby boy and are now getting settled into a new lifestyle.

Hopefully his brew days won't take too big of a hit. The podcast may be on a short hiatus while Doug, Sarah, and Luke get settled in...but that will end up being Doug's call!

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me, I will be responding to them this weekend. I need to do a little research for JJ...

FYI...only 8 more days of school(which is work for me)!

New Link!

I've added a permanent link to Pantsville. Brian is a regular listener to the podcast and is tracking his own hops growing project on his blog. He also keeps logs of all his brewing...this blog is completely worth the read. Check it out!

Hops Rhizomes are in! (the ground that is...)

So finally, (way later than planned), all my hops rhizomes have been planted. After taking a long look at the space issues in my yard, I decided to split the rhizomes and have my father plant some in his garden.

The 4 Brewer's Gold rhizomes all went into my father's garden. He built 4 single post trellis with a "T" at the top of each. There are 2 lines going up in a "V" to the T's.

The Cascade rhizomes were planted in my yard. I planted them as planned, but did make one change...Since I had trees very close to where I wanted to put the posts, I decided to use the trees as posts. This decision was made for 2 reasons. 1. - to help the system "blend in" with my yard more and 2. - because there were too many roots and rocks to get a deep enough hole in the ground. I am happy with the outcome though...

As previously promised, and this time I mean it, pictures will be up shortly. I'm in my last couple of weeks of work (did I mention I love being a teacher?) so time is suddenly on my side!

Another Gallery!

Check it out! JJ from Carrboro, NC has sent in pictures of his Hops growing project. I wish I had a NC growing season. Now we're just looking for people from a few more regions. Anyone growing Hops outside the US? That would be awesome...

New Slideshow

I've added the first "Hops Project" to the blog. Many thanks to Mike from Collinsville, IL for the pictures. They will be running as a slide show in the sidebar. Mike has agreed to send me updates throughout the summer to track his progress...hopefully we will get a few more people from different regions to do the same. I guess this puts some pressure on me to get some of my pictures up. The only problem is I'm feeling a little depressed because Mike's plants are so far ahead of mine...

I'm busy today...

Normally I would say I love sick days, but in this case I was really sick...regardless, I was able to get some "promised" pics onto the blog.

This is my drip irrigation system...pretty much a bunch of hoses with small "drip" adapters. It hooks right to my current outdoor spigot. As a side note, if you are running this to more than just a few hops plants, the basic kits will not have enough adapters...so buy extra! I need to go out and get more.

This is the timer I bought. It is the easiest timer I have ever used. I would say just spend the money on a timer...that way you will never forget to water! Also, for those tough mornings after drinking too much of your home-brew, you won't have to get up to water your hops!

Some Pics...Finally

This is the garden soil I use as an amendment to my "dirt"

Irrigation Info (and retractions!)

Hopefully at this point, you have all listened to the irrigation piece on the Home Brewing Perspectives Podcast. While I thought everything was set and ready to go, I have gotten some solid feedback with information and advice....this feedback convinced me to make a few changes to the plan which I discussed on the podcast.

I am using a drip irrigation system. The system that I got ended up being a different brand than planned. I went with a product by DIG Irrigation Products. It is a very simple to use/install system. The only real change is the company name (this system was simply more available & affordable.) I won't consider this a retraction though...

Retraction #1: "Powdery Mildew is not a problem in my area." Wow, do I feel stupid. Powdery Mildew was arguably the sole reason for the destruction of the Hops Industry in the Northeast. Thanks to Mike from Dallas and Melody from Oregon for urging me into a little more research. What makes it even worse is that I've actually treated tomato plants for powdery mildew, and for some reason (I'll call it a brain fart) didn't put 1 and 1 together.

Retraction #2: "I'm going to run misters up my trellis structure" (this is a direct result of retraction #1.) I spoke with a friend of mine who has been a farmer, landscape architect, and runs the agriculture program at my high school; his advice was to just go with the drip system. The theory behind drip systems is that they water the root system directly. Since plants get water through the roots, we don't need misters...the use of misters would simply lead to the chance of powdery mildew.

I'm installing the system this week and finally transferring the rhizomes into the ground as well. I do think I'm a little behind as far as planting goes, but my main goal for year one was to ensure survival and development of a healthy plant. Whatever yield we get year one will be a happy bonus...

Crazy Weather!

April is just crazy in Connecticut. We had a week of 80 degree weather last week. Then what happens? A cold spell of course! We had near freezing temperatures last night and are on a frost warning tonight...This is why I generally hold off planting until May.

Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed ideas and advice. I have heard from a couple of people that if I don't plant soon, I may not get a crop the first year. For that reason, the rhizomes will be in my garden bed this week. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Check back for pictures!

Hopefully everyone listened to the Home Brewing Perspectives Podcast. If you haven't, I think it is definitely worth a listen...check it out! Irrigation info soon to follow!

Dirt is Ready!

Nothing too exciting to report, but I have finished "amending" my soil. I added Agway Garden Soil and some Composted Cow Manure. With that done, I am finally ready to build my mounds and plant my rhizomes. I realize I had them for a while, but my chief concern was waiting until I was out of the danger of a frost. If you happen to get a freak frost after you have planted, below are some tactics you can use to help your rhizomes (or any plant for that matter) survive. These tips were taken from: http://www.thegardenhelper.com/frost.html

Irrigation information is coming, as well as pictures of my hops bed...check back soon!

When the inevitable occurs and a frost is predicted, there are several things which you can do to protect your plants.

• Water the garden thoroughly before nightfall. The soil will release moisture into the air around your plants during the night, keep the air somewhat warmer.
• Even a slight breeze will prevent cold air from settling near the ground during the night. You can help keep frost from forming by providing this breeze artificially with an electric fan. Be sure to protect the fan and all electrical connections from water and the elements.
• Cover up before dusk! By the time it gets dark much of the stored heat in the garden has already been lost. If you have time, build a simple frame around the plant, or row of plants. (Even a single stake can be used in many cases.) Then drape a cover of newspaper, cardboard, plastic tarps, bed sheeting or any other lightweight material over the frame to create a tent. If you don't have time to create a frame, lay the protective cover directly onto the plant. This will help to slow the loss of heat rising from the foliage and the ground. Remove the covers in the morning, once the frost has thawed, to let the light and fresh air back in, and to prevent overheating by the sun.
• For smaller individual plants you can use glass jars, milk jugs with the bottom removed, paper cups upside down flower pots as heat traps. Don't forget to remove these covers in the morning.
• You can collect heat during the day by painting plastic milk jugs black and filling them with water. Place them around your plants where they will collect heat during the day. Water loses heat more slowly than either soil or air. This collected heat will radiate out throughout the night.
• Potted plants are particularly susceptible to frosts because the roots are also unprotected. If you are unable to move your container plants indoors or under cover remember to also wrap the pot in burlap or bubble wrap, or simply bury the pot in soil in addition to protecting the foliage.

If your efforts were too late, or too little to protect your plants from a frost resist the urge to cut off the damaged parts of the plants. To a certain extent, these dead leaves and stems will provide limited insulation from further frost damage. You will have to go back and re prune your plants in spring anyway.

Dirt and Poop

I promised Doug I wouldn't swear (on the podcast as well as on my blog), however if you listened to this weeks show, you most likely noticed that I was bleeped out once. All I can think of when I say or write "poop" is a scene from Billy Madison...if you've seen it you know the line: "He called the S#*t Poop!"

Anyways, I promised to add some pre-planting information on soil preparation to the blog. As I said, step one is definitely to test your soil. I was in Agway (which is a garden supply store) today and they had test kits ranging in price from $4.99 to $24.99. While there I purchased this years supply of garden soil and composting cow manure. (Stay away from the chicken compost/manure...I've heard it is too acidic.)

Once you test your soil, that will determine your need for amendments. Following is a list of soil amendments and their affect on your dirt. Remember, you are looking for a pH range from 6 to 7.5.

• Compost - slowly lowers pH of alkaline soil and raises pH of acidic soils and supplies plant nutrients. (You really can't go wrong composting and I am a firm believer that you should ALWAYS mix compost/cow manure in your garden beds.) Also, if you would like an easy way to live a little "greener" make your own compost pile/bin and compost your waste. You can help the environment and your garden at the same time.
• Bonemeal - Raises pH and is an excellent source of phosphorus.
• Sulfur - Lowers pH of alkaline soil.
• Wood ashes - Raises pH and contributes many nutrients.
• Limestone (Dolomite or Calcitic) - Raises pH of soil. Dolomite will add magnesium, calcitic will not.
  
• Phosphate - Slowly raises pH. Excellent source of phosphorous and other nutrients

By the way...All of these can be bought at a garden supply store and you should simply follow the instructions on the bag! If you are adding amendments to the soil, the best time to do it is in the fall. That gives sufficient time for them to break down. The reason why we are so worried about the soil is that the direct effect of poor soil will be a poor yield. Hops vines are cool, but really, we're not growing these things for aesthetics, we need the cones for our beer!

More Rhizomes!

More Rhizomes have arrived! The aforementioned Brewer's Gold Hops Rhizomes (which were ordered by Doug "accidentally on purpose" have arrived as well. It is still a little early for planting in Connecticut, so I have stored them with my Cascade Rhizomes in the butter tray of my fridge.

Hopefully you listened to this weeks podcast...if you have, you know I promised soil preparation details. They will be coming very soon as I plan on "working" my garden beds this week.

Rhizomes are here!

It's an exciting night! The Cascade Hops Rhizomes have arrived from Northern Brewer. The hops actually came from Freshops in Philomath, Oregon.

Many times plants, rhizomes, etc...will ship before you may be able to plant in your region. Remember you MUST wait until after the last possible frost. In Connecticut, I usually wait until the 2nd or 3rd week of May. There are a couple of options you have to wait out that difficult time between when you receive your Hops Rhizomes and when you can plant them.

• If you happen to have a Greenhouse, Garden Window, etc...you could start the rhizomes and transfer them when the ground thaws.
• The safest bet is to store the rhizomes in a plastic bag, slightly moistened and keep them in a refrigerator until you are ready to plant. (This is what I am doing)
  

Getting Closer...

It is finally starting to warm up in Connecticut...and the timing couldn't be better. One of those "teacher" perks, I am on spring break next week. Could you imagine? I have Spring Break and Summer Vacation for the rest of my life...I know you're jealous.

Anyways, Doug and I will be discussing soil preparation on the Home Brewing Perspectives Podcast shortly. Personally, I plan on starting the preparation of my site this week. That consists of building the trellis and getting the soil ready. Keep your eyes peeled, I will have site photos on the blog shortly, followed by detailed construction diagrams.

Hops Structure Diagram

The first work-through of my hops structure. It is important to remember to properly plan for the best location BEFORE building your trellis.

Some things to keep in mind when choosing your location:

• Southern Exposure with Full Sun (6-8 Hours)
• An Existing Wind Break to Prevent Vine Damage
• Plenty of Vertical Space
• Good Drainage
  

Hops Growing Structure

Ok, I know I'm a little late...I promised on the Home Brewing Perspectives Podcast the other day that I would post structural diagrams of the "trellis" system I'm growing my hops on. The structure will be a "straight pole" trellis system. 2 large posts spaced apart with a wire "web" between the posts. The wires will be attached to the posts through eyelet or hooks. The poles will be spaced about 20 ft. apart. That will leave plenty of room for the 6 rhizomes I ordered. I plan on having my poles be about 10 ft. high (and set 2-3 ft. in the ground). This will give the structure substantial support as well as being tall enough to allow growth, while still low enough that I can harvest the hop cones without much of a problem. Remember, I plan on training the hops horizontally before vertically.

Diagrams of the structure soon to follow...

Rhizome Purchase

I've made my first Rhizome purchase. With advice from Doug, I decided to make my purchase through Northern Brewer. We have decided to go with Cascade Hops. 6 rhizomes will be on their way to Connecticut when the rhizomes are harvested by Northern Brewer's vendor (estimated for mid-April).

Until planting time, I plan on posting all the "dirty work" which is fundamental to the growing of hops.......just as soon as the ground thaws!

"As a wise man once said, give a man some hops, he'll brew for a day. Give a man a hop rhizome, he'll brew for lifetime!"

Hops Shortage

After some urging from Famed Beer Lawyer and Home Brewmaster Doug, I have decided to address the Hops Shortage first-hand.

This blog will document the process, from soil preparation through (hopefully) harvest of these wonderful little morsels of happiness...

Hopefully all will go well in my quest to become a Hops Farmer.