2017 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[abyss]

This is my first harvest ever.
Cascade, Dr Rudi and Saaz. I'm stoked as they were only in pots which were too small.
I used heaps of mushroom compost with both natural top soil and horse + cow shit.
I also use 1/2 strength liquid fertiliser every two weeks in the afternoon of the full and new moon.

 

[earle]

EKG Harvest Ale with a few fresh flowers from a small second harvest

 

[A.B.]

One of my first year Chinooks (from DrSmurto) is just about ready to harvest - didn't expect any flowers in first year, looks like I might have a bucket full. Checking them every day for the right time to pick the flowers.

 

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Shame, did you have an automatic watering system in place?

Hah. Yep, it's called rain! I think I'm done with FIFO work, hopefully next season I will be able to monitor them a bit closer.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Panic harvested today its come early from a week of dry sunny weather for my
Goldings: 270g grand total wet.1st year in a pot, lesson learned I let too many bines go in early growth for a pot. Poor yield.
They also went dry,post ripe really quick but they smell great.

Chinook: Just under 3 kilo wet. 2nd year in the ground. got around >1% over ripe dried out browned hops but they also smell great with the palm rub smell test. They all go in. I see no reason to throw the browned flowers?

 

[Midnight Brew]

It seems like hop karma is finally on my side!

Harvested my Chinook last night and then again this morning totaling 6 buckets.


Wet weight 6.12kg.





This plant is several years old and this year I decided to grow up the fence then up to the roof to give a bit of privacy for the bedroom. Yep it adds some charm. Next year I will run even more strings up to the roof and completely shade off that bedroom from the southwest sun.

My garage smells divine right now.

 

[husky]

Harvested 1st year Vic tonight. 1.5 hrs to collect 2.1kg until it got dark, approx. the same again I'll have to get off in a few days if they're still ok as some are getting past due and I'm time poor currently.
Cascade still going and likely harvest in the next few weeks.
The bottom tiers are the dried out Chinook from last week that need to be vac sealed.

 

[mofox1]

Nice haul Husky.

I judged mine almost ready to pick last weekend... Hopefully not past it by this weekend!

 

[Rocker1986]

These hauls make my 100g (so far) look like shit by comparison :lol: If only Brisbane was better suited to hops growing in regard to yield of flowers. Oh well, it's still fun at least, and I'll get about 2-3 batches of beer from them.

 

[Matplat]

These hauls make my 100g (so far) look like shit by comparison :lol: If only Brisbane was better suited to hops growing in regard to yield of flowers. Oh well, it's still fun at least, and I'll get about 2-3 batches of beer from them.

Thats why I've decided to give it up! I realised that, living in brisbane, it's much easier, cheaper and more satisfying to get a good deal on commercially grown hops! Ha ha ha! If I ever move to victoria I'll reconsider!

 

[Mat B]

What is everyone doing with these huge harvests? This is my first year, and I reckon I've got 6kgs of cascade wet. It's insane. There's NO WAY I'll use anywhere near that before next harvest. I've also spent hours picking and drying flowers. My wife is not pleased.

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

What is everyone doing with these huge harvests? This is my first year, and I reckon I've got 6kgs of cascade wet. It's insane. There's NO WAY I'll use anywhere near that before next harvest. I've also spent hours picking and drying flowers. My wife is not pleased.

That'll dry down to 1.5kg or less. You'll just have to make hoppier beer then.

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

Dropped my first Chinook last night. One of the smallish ones...4kg wet. :O

 

[Yob]

That'll dry down to 1.5kg or less. You'll just have to make hoppier beer then.

Build a randalizer, you'll get through them

 

[Rocker1986]

Thats why I've decided to give it up! I realised that, living in brisbane, it's much easier, cheaper and more satisfying to get a good deal on commercially grown hops! Ha ha ha! If I ever move to victoria I'll reconsider!

Yeah I mainly use bought hops but I still find satisfaction in growing them. Even if they don't produce much they are effective shade screens over the summer too. I'll keep persisting, maybe after a few years they'll acclimatise better and start producing more but even if I only get enough for 3 or 4 batches per season I'll be happy.

 

[pat_00]

I gave my partner's dad a rhizome of Mt Hood and this is what he did with it. 1st year of growth too. It made it to the top of the 6 metre pole until the rope broke.

 

[earle]

Yeah I mainly use bought hops but I still find satisfaction in growing them. Even if they don't produce much they are effective shade screens over the summer too. I'll keep persisting, maybe after a few years they'll acclimatise better and start producing more but even if I only get enough for 3 or 4 batches per season I'll be happy.

Same. I've been growing hops up here for about 4 years but the recent posts have really highlighted for me how paltry the yields are up here. Anyway, its another aspect of an enjoyable hobby and I get at least one harvest ale each year. Water with tank water so that reduces any cost that you would attribute to growing the hops.

 

[Rocker1986]

I might try dumping a heap of ice over the soil during the winter months for a few weeks. It will be expensive but I want to see if it does anything to chill the soil down more than would normally occur. I'll only do this on one of them though. Another option would be to take the whole root system out of the soil, chop off a few rhizomes and stick these in the fridge for a few weeks while disposing of the rest of the roots, then replanting the rhizomes. Apparently they produce better yields if they get chilled over the winter months more than happens here.

 

[earle]

We get a bit colder up here in Toowoomba than you low-landers. Ice sounds like work and expense. The other option - I wonder whether you would lose more by reducing the size of the rhizome than you would gain by the refrigeration process?

 

[Devhay]

Some great looking hauls coming through now!

Definitely have to get my hands on a rhizome this year