Hop Harvest 2009 - Growing hops in St. Paul, MN

[tehbigjiga]

What is playing at 1:20? Sounds like some awesome jammin!

[donosborn]

@tehbigjiga That is most definitely some jamming! It sounds like it is "Harry Hood" by Phish. I'm pretty sure that is the song, but I don't know what show I was listening to.  cheers. (I rarely listen to studio albums and prefer listening to live shows).

[tehbigjiga]

@donosborn Ya I hear ya, Phish and Greatiful Dead are good examples of just how jammy they get from their studio albums to there live shows. I wish I lived by you and the fellas of Brewing TV, Minnesota seems aswesome. Im probably going to visit my friend in St.Paul in laste spring. KEep up the good videos.. and keep on jammin man... I hope we can meet some time!

Cheers!

[donosborn]

@tehbigjiga If you are ever going to be in St Paul send me a YT private message and we can meet up. I've met two subscribers in person when they were in town, one from VT and one from MI. It's fun. Bring a couple homebrews if you have them and we can have tasting of mine too. Cheers.

[tehbigjiga]

@donosborn Ya, I need to bottle some batches, since I mostly keg now..

[bosun3c]

I process 3800 LBS per batch through the plant I work at-8 batches per shift

[fuck5ofu]

this looks like fun for sure

[Buebie]

Great vid, like usual from you. I just harvested my 2nd year, which produced quite well, as compared to last year. I like the air eject sealer you use. How much was that? Currently drying half of my very generous harvest.

[donosborn]

@Buebie I think you can find cheaper ones for $25-40. More expensive ones are available but this is one of the cheaper ones. Target, Walmart, places like that have them. Look for food saver or vacuum sealer. cheers.

[zaq37]

"i am your density!" lol Back to the Future fan eh?

[cryingmelodies25]

is that harry hood playing in the background?

[donosborn]

@cryingmelodies25 Most excellent call my friend.  It surely is.

[TakeSomeAdvice]

Do hops attract wasps and bee's?

Also, do they regrow in the spring? (i'm in canada and have winters)

[donosborn]

No they don't attract wasps and bees. They don't have sweet flowers (the cones are the flowers). And yes, they come back every spring w/o having to re-do anything. I'm in St. Paul, MN so we have some winters too, although not quite like you. cheers.

[TakeSomeAdvice]

@donosborn I have a fence in my back yard and would love to grow these all along the fence. The problem is that it's a shared fence with the neighbours. Would that be a problem? How intrusive would it be on their side of the fence.. I dont thinkk they would mind as long as it was within reason..

[donosborn]

To be honest, they will climb through and over the fence and get into your neighbors yard. I would talk to them first and see if they would be ok with that. You might say "feel free to cut anything that gets into your yard" or something. That is what I have said to my neighbors. Once they get going, they are really crafty and expansive plants. It's not for no reason they are of the same family as 'weed.' :) They grow like one!

[broken14us]

how long do you dry the hop

[donosborn]

@broken14us It takes me a couple days of drying them in my garage for them to get fully dry.

[RGH1502]

How many of each vine do you grow? and do you mean you got 7.5 ounces from each vine? Nice setup!

[donosborn]

Two Cascade rhizomes, one Centennial (so three plants are growing). I got 7.5 oz of each variety. The Centennial yields more than the Cascades as it takes both Cacades to get as much as one Centennial. I use two pieces of twine for each plant, and train 2-3 bines up each piece of twine. cheers.

[nppeders]

Hey, I have a question about how you deal with your hops over the winter. I have 3 bines going right now. I'm about to get them ready for the winter. Do you do anything special to them before the cold Minnesota winter. I live in Nordeast Minneapolis.

[donosborn]

I cut them down pretty close to the ground (inch or so). I might cover them up with leaves but I don't know if this is necessary. And that is about all I do. cheers.

[guitarplyr327]

I noticed you a the fruitbats playin at the end of the video. NICE!

[donosborn]

just a coincidence as I had the radio on. :)

[guitarplyr327]

Does your back yard smell like hops while they are growing during the year?

[donosborn]

I wish. :) The best time to get some good smells is during picking when the buckets are getting full of hops.

[xxparsley]

Last years harvest video kept me coming back for more like a favorite t.v. show or something. I was planting my first hop rhizomes and was doing some you tubing on the subject and came across your channel. Love your videos Don. Please keep em coming.

[donosborn]

thanks. I appreciate the nice words. Glad you like them.

[bigfatkeeper]

Very Nice! Getting ready to pick mine as well. Was that a Founders you were drinking? i'll be hitting the breweries in the GR area in about 3 weeks. Can't wait to get some fresh Centennial!

[donosborn]

Yes sir it was, the very beer you mentioned. It is good fun to be at their brewery drinking all that beer right from the teets. :) Enjoy.

[brewyourown4life]

great vid don, those hops are crazy, did i here you say they were third year? hope mine look that good in the coming years. any major problems with japenese beetles?

[donosborn]

They are in their 5th year. No problems with those bugs but something does get to my leaves a bit. Because the cones themselves are not harmed and I still get an ok harvest, I don't do much to combat them. cheers.