Green Communities Hop Garden Workshop at Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8: 30/04/2016

Saturday the 30th of April saw a new Hop Garden installed within the Bridgefoot Street Community Garden. Starting from 12 noon the posts and wire were set up by early arrivals including Tim Holmes, Niall O Coinleáin, Hubert Martin, and Robert Moss. Around a dozen people attended the event and heard a talk by Tim Holmes about Hops and their cultivation. We then planted 8 new Golden Tassle Hop Vines to be trained along the wires strung between posts across the garden. After lunch we then distributed Hop seeds for planting and future cultivation. These will take 1-3 months to germinate before producing a rhizome ready for planting out next year. Only the female vines produce Hop Cones for harvesting. Males must be weeded out as they will seed the female Hop cones and spoil the taste of the Hops! A fine sunny day with two Swallows in attendance over Island Street. Many thanks to Dublin City John Paul Park for the posts, Diageo and St. James Gate GIY Garden for Hop vines, and all of the Green Communities participants.