Dern it all I *AM* a farmer

Gardening is something I flirt with occasionally and really feel like I should just fling myself into headlong. Problem is that I am lazy at heart and I find it hard to maintain any level of reasonable human intervention. I am growing seven tomato plants for my wife and have already harvested a few this year. Tomatos are easy though and the fact that they are 10 feet from the back door helps remind me to water them.

I planted some Cascade hops from rhizomes a member of our club graciously donated to the group. I had the best intentions but time got away from me and I didn't quite plant them when I should've. They went in the ground at the end of May around the same time I planted some peas (again a new experience for me) along the back fence. I watered them all in the first weeks but when I discovered the peas were regularly being trimmed down by the rabbits I gave up on everything but the tomatoes (again so close and ever-present I could not help but feel guilty abandoning them).

I did check out my hop plants which dutifully albeit slowly rose from the ground and wound themselves up the fence. I'd aid them in winding if I saw them head astray and inconvenient to me but pretty much wrote them off for the year since they were so untended by myself. However I started to notice some flowers (cones) on one of the vines.

Pardon my poor phone camera pictures.





Now I'll tell you I am surprised at my own damn luck in the face of near absolute abandonment of my hop vines. Partial shade, only rain for water and some sort of aphid infestation may have laid my vines low, low, low but they are out there producing for me. Aiming to please with some Cascade goodness.

Now I will wait and duly create a Pale Ale to time with my cones and when the time comes I will wet hop it with everything I have. Damn you hop vines for making my day.