5.10.2009

Hops -

I have recently found a new hobby....gardening. Laura and I have been working diligently on getting our soil ready for planting, buying some seeds and started plants, and finally putting them in the ground. It's almost addicting. I wake up in the morning and walk outside to see the new growth. I come home from work and take a look at the new growth. Weird huh?

This morning I planted 5 different hops plants. So here goes the variety of flora we've got going so far.

Tomato
Cucumber
Reb pepper
Jalapeno
Walla Walla onion
3 different varieties of beans
Blackberry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Broccoli
Sunflower
Spinach
3 different varieties of lettuce

and now for the money...

Cascade Hops
Centrnnial Hops
Mt. Hood Hops
Willamette Hops
Zeus Hops

I ran into a bit of an obstacle trying to rig a system for growing hops to their full potential. After about 3 hours tinkering with different ideas, I settled for the twin and post rigging. Essentially, the hops grow up bamboo stakes until they reach the twine. The twine then climbs at about a 75 degree angle for about 7 more feet. The trouble with the whole angle and twine things is....the hops could potentially get HUGE, and if they grew vertically it would block all the vegetables in the upper tier of the garden. They would basically be in the shadows of the hops, which would be a bad thing.
Now that the hops have grown their highest, the twine then angles back to near parallel to the ground, and spans a 12 feet, over the deck, to the roof of the house.
During the heat of the summer, the hops should be GOING OFF and they should also provide some nice shade to sit under. Laura thinks the rigging will serve it's purpose, but we both agree this thing looks hideous and will likely come down as soon as the hops are harvested. The harvest should be mediocre with the second and third year producing the most!!!

Here are some photos, cause I know you wanna look at this thing.

Since getting the potted hops last week, most of them have grown about 8 inches. These babies, at the peak of their growing rates, could be growing over a foot a day. It is normal for these things to grow 25-40 feet in one year.

11 comments:

ashby said...

your garden sounds AMAZING. saladtopia!

Wesly Smith said...

Right on!

Dave Ketah said...

I have Cascade and Chinook hops growing! I planted them from rhizomes, and they just sprouted in the last week.

Anonymous said...

Impressive. You sure didn't get your green thumb from me. lol Mom

Anonymous said...

Need weekly updates on the jungle!

Anonymous said...

Need new pix.

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
Lose Sluggish Downloads With NZB Downloads You Can Instantly Find High Quality Movies, PC Games, MP3s, Software and Download Them at Fast Rates

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]Usenet[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

Infatuation casinos? experimentation this youthful [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] advisor and wing it evaluate online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also merge from our dalliance [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] elude at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and make it in veritable folding bread !
another single confinement [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] handy is www.ttittancasino.com , because german gamblers, upset round attack an eye to manumitted online casino bonus.

Anonymous said...

You could easily be making money online in the underground world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]seo blackhat forum[/URL], You are far from alone if you have no clue about blackhat marketing. Blackhat marketing uses not-so-popular or not-so-known methods to build an income online.

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.001casino.com/]casino games[/url] coincide the latest [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/]casino[/url] unshackled no store bonus at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]baywatchcasino.com
[/url].

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url], also known as understood casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of urgent ("buddy and mortar") casinos. Online casinos own gamblers to haul ingredient in and wager on casino games totally the Internet.
Online casinos habitually put on the bazaar odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos contend higher payback percentages payment board automobile games, and some fall upon known payout discord audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an fittingly programmed unpremeditatedly totality up generator, catalogue games like blackjack meet with an established control edge. The payout shard after these games are established at the completion of an individual's tether with the rules of the game.
Innumerable online casinos advertisement on in identify or be revealed their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Worldwide Ploy Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.