So much has happened in the last few months at the farm I don't know where to start! Spring has sprung forward like a jack-in-the-box and all of a sudden we find ourselves tending to second year hops planted under an almost-finished one-acre trellis! How did that happen!?
Let's take a few steps back:
We tried to install all the trellis poles last fall but an early winter caused us to rethink our schedule. So as soon as the ground thawed the first week of March, we were eager to complete the 88-pole trellis. We called up Jason and he was quick to return, this time with a Deere 50C excavator. Not too big not too small, this machine proved to be far more effective than a power auger. There's just no way an auger would be able to penetrate the aggregate rock we discovered at depths of about 3' and sometimes shallower.
Working quickly, we were able to sink one pole every 5-10 minutes. With the interior poles complete, we could now even out the lumps and bumps of the hop yard. Our budget solution was to drag a grader blade up, down, and across the rows from behind our F150. The blade was fixed to an old towing V and chained to the the truck hitch and we were off to the races in fine 'Chariots of Fire' style.
In my next post, I'll fill you in on all things compost...
Tim in the F150 discovering a wee dip in the terrain with Jason quick to the rescue!
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