“They who drink beer will think beer.” ~ Washington Irving

“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline.” ~ Frank Zappa

I’ve put in a hop garden! Well, not really a garden but three plants. In one bed. Behind my barn and in the vegetable garden, because beer’s a vegetable, right?

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update. May is THE BUSIEST month in a Northeast gardener’s calendar I wish I could add all those hours in January to my days in May. Things are growing and it’s a race to plant, transplant, seed, mulch and mow in May. But I’m taking lots of photos and hope I can get them on the blog when things slow down. Hops weren’t on the GardenLass 2013 To-Do List, but since there isn’t enough to do and it’s a cool plant, it’s been added.

Hops, or Humulus lupulus, is in the Cannnabaceae family (yup, that Cannabaceae). Deciduous and perennial, it’s a climbing plant. And boy does it like to climb. Hops are know to grown over 30 feet high if supported. I located the bed behind a barn and out of the way of other veggies. So far they seem pretty happy.

I’ll check in over the course of the summer on their progress. By the end of the summer they should be producing cones, which is the female flower and the part we use to make beer. Stay tuned!