My Hops Arrived!

[L2wis]

Hey all! My hop plants arrived! I ordered a prima donna and a golden tassels (not for SWMBO haha)! Ordered them from here: http://tomatoseedsuk.co.uk/dwarf-hop-shop.php

They arrived in these pieces of tube:


With some tissue wadding them in tissue was still damp which is a winner!:


There was some odd light material around the golden tassels which I wasn't sure whether I should remove or not so I left it on:


Here is a pic of my potted Prima Donna:


And here is a pic of the pair of them:


Really recommend using the guys at tomatoseedsuk.co.uk, their email support is great, I've been chatting to the chap and he informs me next year they should be stocking dwarf varieties of chinook and cascade!

[boingy]

If you want a harvest this year you want to get them out in the garden asap. Plenty of compost and a decent mulch above the roots to give them a bit of protection from late frosts.

[L2wis]

yeh gonna get them planted out at the weekend. Not expecting anything off them this year

[scuppeteer]

You're gonna need a bigger pot!

[boingy]

You will get a small harvest this year if you get 'em planted pronto. Maybe not enough for a whole brew but certainly enough for an aroma addition.

[L2wis]

thats all good then, they are only in those pots until the weekend, i'm going to make a nice raised border for them so they have plenty of depth.

[L2wis]

Made my raised border across the weekend! Here are some pics:

Golden tassels in:


Prima donna in:


Both in and finished:


Just got to get some organic fertiliser in there with um and jobs a goodun!

[symptomlesscoma]

L2wis reading your post yesterday inspired me to buy a hop plant from tomatoseedsuk as soon as I got home from work.
Never really thought about growing hops before. Went for the Prima Donna as like First Gold, hopefully get some this year.
Hope all goes well with your hops.

[Andy__]

L2wis reading your post yesterday inspired me to buy a hop plant from tomatoseedsuk as soon as I got home from work.
Never really thought about growing hops before. Went for the Prima Donna as like First Gold, hopefully get some this year.
Hope all goes well with your hops.

I think you may both be pleased at how many hops you do actually harvest. Im in my 3rd year with PD and even in the first year I had enough for a brew.

[L2wis]

L2wis reading your post yesterday inspired me to buy a hop plant from tomatoseedsuk as soon as I got home from work.
Never really thought about growing hops before. Went for the Prima Donna as like First Gold, hopefully get some this year.
Hope all goes well with your hops.

Thats really fantastic my post has inspired some to grow their own hop! Mine have been in the ground a little while now, the prima donna is looking kinda ropey in parts I'm sure it will get better though however the golden tassles is looking reallly healthy!

It's great fun planting them and they look super pretty once they get all leafy!

[EliteEvil]

What happens if you use hops for brewing without drying them?

[L2wis]

No idea but i know it's called "wet hopping"

[LovelightGeneration]

I too have been inspired to grow some and have
Ordered a couple of plants ( one of each) from
the site I got a nice spot between shed and
greenhouse might be a bit shaded though.

[L2wis]

Haha great stuff! I'm so please that by posting a link and a couple of pics I've inspired some others to do the same!

You guys should chuck some pics of your plants up here once you got them in the ground (or potted).

I'm looking forwards to next year as the guys said they might have a couple of american hops coming in dwarf format.

@lovelightgeneration: I reckon your hops will still be alright even thou its on the shady side, I read somewhere that some hops prefer that setup! I plan to plant 2 more plants next year between my shed and fence so let us know how you get on!

[Tom_D]

Nice one L2wis, you've inspired me too. I've just place an order for the Prima Donna. Really looking forward to giving this a go.