Earliest Hop Harvest Ever

Where are you at? Mine have some time to go, they are just setting the cones here in Michigan.

 

We had record heat in March, and the American types grew waist high. Those got nipped by the following frost/freeze. The European hops grew well in the cool weather, and look very good. Now it has been blazing hot (for here), and things have evened out.

I still expect to see the Eruopean hops mature first (early/mid August), followed by the American hops up to mid September.

 

I just got about three ounces of cascade (after drying) from my vine in Southern Missouri. I got a very early sprout this spring and I had cones forming by may.

 

There was a guy on another board that always was harvesting his hops right around the 4th of July. He lived near Atlanta GA.

 

No sign of cones in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region. Tons of super long lateral sidearms, wont be long!

 

When I lived in Salt Lake, I typically began harvesting Cascades about this time of year and continued until about Labor Day. It was a nice setup, as I trained the vines around a detached carport that we converted to a patio and they blocked the sun in addition to providing some hops. I added some support that extended about 5 feet above the carport roof. The result was that I could haul a chair up on the roof and sit while I picked the majority of my crop (the less sweet aspect was that it was generally about 110F up there, but at least I was sitting down).

Here in northern VT, halfway up a mountain, I pick everything between Sept. 1 and 15 or so. Until this year, I never had shoots break ground before April 15; this year it was about March 13, but things got back to normal after a little April Fool's cold snap. The Cascade, Centennial and Sterling on the barn wall is looking great.

 

No signs of cones yet here north of Seattle, WA.... Typically we harvest in September.

 

I've got copious amounts of cones on my Centennial this year but the other 5 are very quiet....side-arms shooting out on most but no cones yet.

 

It's been a strange year. I've got 7th year Cascade and Centennial here in North Iowa. Normally I start harvesting the Centennials in late July. This year I can harvest those any day now.

 

Here in northern Utah I'd have to say that the cones are a little further along this year than most, most likely due to the warm spring this year. Just today I noticed that the some of the little floweret thingys have started to look like cones. The upside to this year's dryer weather is the lack of hop aphids, which have been a real problem for my hops since about 2009.

 

most varieties for me here in southern VT have already flowered and cone production has started...should be even earlier than last year, which was really early.

 

I'm starting to see a few cones turning brown here in Pa. Easily a month ahead of normal. But it's been hot as hell lately.

 

Just bagged and sealed my second harvest of both Chinook and cascade. Mt. Hood is almost ready, full cones, but not yet papery/noisy.
It was a hot and early spring here in Los Angeles also.

 

my cones are fairly small still, but considering they are first year i'm happy with the harvest I'll get.

 

I've been thinking of planting something next year. Any suggestions for southern Louisiana? I've heard the heat might not be a problem for chinook, but I have to watch out for the humidity.

 

Eastern WA here. My cones came on just last week. Still just the little urchins.