Magnum, Indeed

Check out how tall the Magnum hops are already (taken yesterday):

That horizontal piece in the V is just about six feet above the soil. It grew at least another six inches today while I was at work! That's a Deodar Cedar in the background. We planted it in 1996. Here's another angle:

And finally a look at all three:

The Cascades (middle) are doing fine. The Nuggets are just getting started. Spring has arrived, so we've turned on the irrigation to the garden. Those bines will really take off now.


a.d. III Kal.Mai

Hops!

It is spring time here in the State of Jefferson. Take a look at my hops:

Those are Cascades. I had to cut back several sprouts--they are doing very well. All the varieties are rhizomes from Freshops in Oregon. The twine is for the bines, which like to climb. They grow in a spiral, hence they are bines, not vines, which grow by suckers or tendrils.That's cocoa bark, which is an excellent mulch and also keeps the neighbor's cats out of the bed. It smells like chocolate, which I love. The shadows are the A-frame trellis I originally built for peas and beans.


The Magnum are the tallest so far:

Sorry for the lousy picture. The last set are Nugget hops. They have just begun to emerge:

Beautiful plants, don't you think? I hope to have some nice stuff this fall. I would like to try using some "green," or "wet" hops in a brew. Typically the cones (the unfertilized fruits) are dried before they are used in beer, but you can add them when freshly harvested for some different flavors.

I started the garden project at the end of March of last year. Things were 'Comin' Up' by early April. I'll keep you posted.


a.d.XI Kal. Mai