It’s that time of year again. Last year I dove into brewing beer, putting together a few batches that actually weren’t as bad as I anticipated. During studying and learning what I could, a friend gave me two small hop plants (both Centennial) . Since the hops were transplanted in September (and they were a seedling) they needed a year to become more mature. Last year I was surprised since both plants produced an ounce or two (although not very full) but still were vacuum sealed (basically for showcasing my first crop ). In January that same friend was moving from his house and didn’t have room for some of his hops, so he gave me three rhizomes (Nugget and Yakima Golding). This year I’ll be watching all five plants with excitement, especially since they’ll be added to some brew later in the year.

At this point, I can’t offer too much help with growing hops as they are relatively easy to grow (and I’m a newbie). Fresh top soil was added when I first planted them but other than watering, I haven’t done much else. I’m sure once I learn more about growing them and bettering them for beer I’ll have more to say. Which this all reminds me, it’s time to purchase a trellis or two.

For now, here are a few recent pictures from this Hop Season: