2014 season starts

Second work day in the rain .....  Only the hard and fast guys made it.... Don , Alan, Walt, and our newest member Kaira.

Fresh growth plus weeds

Remember the hops keep growing even if we dont make it out and this is critical time to keep weeds etc at bay.

In the morning before the rain I mowed and spread fertilizer , and at 2 pm the rest of the team came out.

We also hosted Mike and Tyler from Faucette farms who are starting up a small organic hops farm in Brown Summit.

Work we did today was cutting the furrow around the hops circles, plus  rhizome digging and weeding inside the circles, good ol Hoe work. Some of the guys worked on improving our vintage wheelbarrow too.

Fixing our antique wheelbarrow

We never got to fix the pole on back row , ( leaning ) and we still need to sort out the ropes on the Nugget circle

We need a full house at next work days guys and gals.

New Growth and Fertilizer

Hop Asparagus

Going to try Hay to keep weeds down

Lots of Hoeing

Newly Cut Cascade Rhizomes

Wheel barrows need 3 people

The season is upon us

Hops yard looks good despite the crazy winter we have had..... we spent a few hours cutting down old Bines , and cleaning up, now we need to prep for this season .

First sign of growth was seen  around 5th March , with nice purple buds now showing this week.

Time to fertilize and get lines up in prep for growth.   Will be cutting a bunch of Rhizomes with one order for 40 plus and another for 20 .... should be able to meet these this year.

 Pics from March 7th , 5 1/2 inches of Sleet, snow, ice mixed

This weekend we need to get out and work the land

 

Sunday 2 pm again, 

Let's bring a few cold ones as well this time to enjoy afterwards.

We need to fix the back pole , ( farm house side ) , we need to fix Nugget ropes, and of course dig out Rhizomes,

general weeding is also needed, if you have a hoe (the one with a pole attached :-)

bring it and we could do with some Weedeaters again too.

Email me if any questions

Packaging the hops

So here are some pics showing how we pkg the hops after drying.

After picking they are put onto racks in a steel container on the farm, left 24 hours and then vacuum packed and frozen.If left more than 48 hours they start to turn brown and are essentially not as good.

We pick and place in any bag for ease, after drying bring back indoors for vacuum packing

Average a 2Oz pkg

All the air out and labelled. I always add the year

One days picking, this was two screens, and about 2 grocery bags of wet hops- probably 2 hrs work

Yellow Lupulin Glands at base of petals

Another view just by peeling back a petal

Pick pick and pick some more

Been a bumper year folks, still plenty of Hops for the picking.

We have a very strong second flush on the back row Cascades which will be ready in 2-3 weeks, they are very small now, but will grow a bunch if we leave them.


Please don't forget to update the qty and lbs you have managed to pick.

End of June and Picking begins

After two weeks away traveling  , and rain almost every day for the last few weeks , it was time to start picking...

Some superb Cascades

Multiple cones on a side shoot - perfect hops

Bobby with his Provincial Basket

Best hops are above standing height - ladders to the rescue

.

We have a HUGE harvest ahead of us , the Cascades in the back row are superb and many of the Bines have reached the top and are now crawling along the top wire.

Unless everyone gets out and picks we will not get all the hops off the back row.

the Circles are a little behind, probably another week or two.


We also had to "fix" the fallen Nuggett system, the old Rope Broke (lesson to know for the other rings)   This was a Nylon 3/16 rope with 800lb breaking strain , but has been up in the sun for 5 years  now.

Rob on the ladder picking Cascades

Nuggets down and trying to raise with new rope

The max height we could move it, just too heavy,,, will now shorten the ropes at top and tie them off to raise the bines off the ground

Its been a rainy week, perfect growing weather

Been out of town , but walked across in the rain , and we have hops ready for picking on some Cascades

Lets NOT let them rot on the Bines this year.

8x Neuport were also planted 2 weeks back on the back row , based on success in other parts of NC


Pictures from last weekend

New Cascades on RHS, Last years in background

Nuggets Growing well

Cascades almost to the top, lower growth starting to grow back

Memorial Day weekend, work as always

The spring has been amazing, we have had the best growing season ever, rain weekly and cool days in between.

The back row hops are now at the top of the wire, first time ever.

New growth hops also begining to show promise, cascades in the middle have a number of strong plants , and with the late plantings of Neuport already above ground too.

Work remains a challenge , we need more people out and about , 2 hrs a month each at minimum guys.   If you have even 30 minutes to give, we need it, so please come on out.

We did such an awesome job keeping the lower growth down during April , now is the time to come back and cull the light green growth that is trying to undo that work.

Pics to follow.......

Enjoy the holiday weekend and remember all those who have served before, and are serving our country now.