Hops on the Way
It’s approaching that time of year once again when hops are ready for harvest. This year, our five varietals have all grown really well. The wet spring and late arrival of summer benefited the initial growth of our crop though we noticed some mildew on the leaves this year. Aphids, a perennial issue with hop growing, were especially prominent early on, but we noticed less spider mites hanging out on the tops of the bines than we did last year. This is our third year with these rhizomes and it seems they are doing quite well.
The Cascades and Centennials are doing exceptionally good this year and the Goldings, Nuggets, and Willamettes are beginning to bud nicely as well. Looking ahead to the weekend, the Willamette Valley can expect the hottest days of the year so far. Reports have Portland reaching the mid to high 90s on Saturday and Sunday, which is good news for the hops. Just make certain to give them plenty of water.
Growing hops does require a little work in order to ward off mildew, pests, and snags, but in the end, a well maintained hops trellis can be very rewarding and may yield a lot of resinous and spicy cones used for beer and tea brewing.
About The Author
Angelo
Angelo grew up in Maine and is proud to call New England his original home. Cascadia is now his home. He fell in love with great beer in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. He has been a correspondent for the Portland Tribune's Guest on Tap column, LivePDX.com, and has been featured in publications such as Beer Northwest and PDX Magazine. Angelo also has a great interest in independent music, and has been a booker and organizer for shows around the Portland under the name Pop Tomorrow! Angelo garnered much knowledge regarding beer from his experiences homebrewing, working at Belmont Station, Pyramid Brewing, Upright Brewing, By the Bottle, Beer Revolution, Olde Depot Public House, Falling Sky Brewing, Cascade Brewing, and from many many knowledgeable, passionate, and loving people along the way. It is Angelo's mission to bring "infotainment" and "edumation" to the readers of this website. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute, please contact me at angelo@brewpublic.com
Looking real good! Waaaay better than the hops I started this year, although I’m getting pretty good flowering on one of my willamettes for a first year plant I guess. I posted about the progress of my plants yesterday on my blog. It was fun to watch mine grow this year, and an almost unexpected surprise to get so many burrs this week, but it’s nothing compared to what you’ve got going on over there. I guess that’s what I get for only thinking about planting hops for a couple of years instead of just doing it.
My Cascades did pretty well this year, but the Zeus and Fuggle plants didn’t really perform well all that great. I blame the weather.