Well into the massive learning curve we have decided to plant another 2640 plant in the spring of 2016. Hop yards C & D have been set aside, measured, re-measured, paced, agonized over, re-measured, staked out and finally…. construction has started.
It’s a lot of work for the one man band, however, I did get my wife and son to help me with some of it when they were available.
Hop yard C is almost ready for the Trellis construction. Only 11 more poles to put in the ground.
I’ve lost count of shear pins broken while digging the holes. I know for sure its above 20 for hop yard C so far. Four feet deep is further down than you think. Especially when you need to use an iron bar and a shovel to get rock out. It’s when I’m doing this that I think to myself that I may be on the wrong side of the supply chain.
This year I decided to put some plastic down to help with weed control in the early stage of the new plants growth. Weeds man weeds,,, they are a real buggar to deal with. Hopefully the plastic will give the new plants a real head start towards rapid growth.
The thing also worth mentioning is that we are growing our hops organically. I am not going to bother with the endless paperwork required for certification. Actually I think it should be the other way around. The paperwork burden should be placed on those who don’t grow organically. (that is a subject best discussed over pints)