June in the hop yard

June in the hop yard is a slightly more relaxed time of year. We've finished stringing, training, and even have everything planted in our additional three acres we're adding this year. 

So what are we doing? Weed control, irrigation, scouting for pests and disease, spraying and general maintenance. 

The spaces between our rows of poles and strings are planted with dwarf white clover. This can reach about 8" tall or so, but we mow every couple of weeks to take out the few weeds that come up in this area. The clover is full of flowers right now so we have lots of bees and other pollinators visiting. 

Below you can see the difference between newly planted hops (foreground) and plants in their second year (rear).  After a couple of weeks of 90 degree temperatures the new hops are beginning to take off and show quite a bit of growth each week.