Timing is critical to harvesting high quality Northeastern hops, as is paying close attention to drying, packaging, and storing the harvest. Our hops at the Alburgh research farm are not quite ready to harvest yet. We predict that the harvest of early maturing varieties will begin at the end of next week (the week of …
Continue reading “Getting Ready for Harvest: Smell, Touch, Hear, & Measure”
Join us this Thursday, July 23, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for our annual Crops and Soils Field Day at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh. The day will include tour stops to our hopyard where we will discuss critical hop insect and disease pests and our research–including new trials on bio fungicides–to …
“There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” We have found that location also matters in growing hops, particularly this spring. Southern Vermont has been exceptionally dry for long periods, while northern parts of our region have been soggy, to say the least. The cool, wet conditions that we’ve been experiencing in …
Continue reading “3 Things that Matter in Pest Scouting: Location, Location, Location”
In commercial hop yards, different cultivars are trained on specific dates in the spring. Depending on whether a cultivar matures early, mid-season, or late, there is typically a particular range of days for those plants to start their upward growth. Getting the bines off the ground is also important for managing downy mildew. Training dates …
Question: Have we mentioned yet how critical downy mildew management is to the success of our Northeast hopyards? Answer: Yes, but the importance of managing this disease cannot be overstated–downy mildew can wipe out your crop for the year and even cause hill death in sensitive varieties, so please be on the lookout. Our bulletin, …
The hop season is upon us! Hop downy mildew is currently the biggest pest of concern for Northeastern hop growers. Downy mildew overwinters in the hop crown and primary inoculum will be released from the first shoots. Removal of the first flush of spring hop growth is called “scratching” or “crowning” depending on how far down a plant …
As part of the Vermont New Farmer Project’s ongoing webinar series, on 4/8/2015, Heather Darby provided an introductory presentation on how to get started with growing hops. Here presentation included establishment considerations, soil fertility, variety selection, pest management, and harvesting tips. The webinar recording is available on our Northwest Crops and Soils Program YouTube channel …
As part of the Vermont New Farmer Project’s ongoing webinar series, UVM Extension’s Heather Darby will provide an introductory presentation on how to get started with growing hops. This will include setting up a trellis system, soil fertility, variety selection, pest management, harvesting, and post-harvest management. The webinar is free, but pre-registration is required. After …
Continue reading “Getting Started with Growing Hops Webinar (4/8/15)”
Proceedings from the 6th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are now available online. The online proceedings include video recordings and PDFs of all conference presentations. They can be accessed for a one-time fee of $35 at eXtension’s Online campus at: http://campus.extension.org. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an …
Continue reading “Online Proceedings from 2015 VT Hop Conference Now Available”
It’s time to order Hop Rhizomes…if you haven’t already done so! Some nurseries have already sold out; others have order deadlines that are fast approaching. Below is a list of sources for hop rhizomes. If you are a rhizome producer and we missed you in our list – let us know! Wholesale: Aroostook Hops, Westfield, …