Homegrown brew.

My hops came in pretty well this season.  Better than I expected.  They grew surprisingly well given that I had no real idea what I was doing.

Started off with three rhizomes and buried them about 8 inches deep with the visible spouts pointing upwards.  I dug around the plantings to create mounds for drainage.

The Northern Brewer and the Chinook took well.  Once the vines began to leaf I spread hay mulch to keep the ground moist and mostly weed free.

I was pleased with the growth through the late summer.  With regular watering the vines grew strong.  Before long hop flowers began to appear.

Considering that most stuff I read indicated that the first season will not produce any hops, I was very excited when it came time to harvest and I ended with 3/4 of an ounce of Northern Brewer and a 1/2 ounce of Chinook (dry).  I dried the hops in my oven, which I will not do again, and they ended up much crispier than I would have liked.  I just tossed them in a kitchen sink brown ale so it wasn't a big deal that they were a little toasted.

Overall, my first hops were very satisfactory.  I won't be quitting my job and starting a hop farm but it was super cool to brew a beer with my own homegrown ingredients.