rain, rain, rain ... and more rain!

We have gotten nothing but rain it seems since I first set my hop rhizomes in the ground. I know plants like water, especially when they first get put in the ground, but I am beginning to wonder if they are drowning in their bed. 

If it were a light rain, I likely wouldn't be too concerned. However, it has been coming down in buckets -- everyday! The frogs sure have been loving it, though, as they are outside just a-singin' right now. 

I did notice the other day that all my topsoil has basically been washed down the hill. I will need to throw some more down once these storms pass. Luckily, the weatherman has predicted no/little chance of rain for the next 3 or 4 days. 

On another note, I have figured out what my trellis setup shall be. It should be relatively cheap and will be convenient to work come harvest time. 

I figured I will use two different diameter gas pipes so that one could fit down inside the other in a telescopic type setup. I could drill and tap a hole in each pipe then stick a bolt and nut through to hold it at the right height during the growth period, then come harvest time, I could slide the inner pole down as I harvest the hops.

So all I would need for the setup is either 4 or 6 lengths of two different diameters of 10' pipe (haven't quite figured out spacing yet), some rope for the hop bines to climb on, some concrete, and some guy wire to keep the poles in place during windy weather. Come harvest time, I would unthread the bolts, and slide the inner pipe down, and harvest. 

Nice and simple! Of course, it looks good on paper. We shall see how well that turns out in a few months or so.