European Gardening: Hop field in Kent, 1 by philomel

philomel wrote:
Part of the survey I was involved in today included an organic farm where hops are still grown. Since my last visit they had strung the poles, which always fascinates me. Last year I was lucky enough to be crossing a hop garden while the farmer was actually doing the stringing, though he was using a long pole to reach the high knots - at one time they used to use stilts, now that was a sight!

The vines are only just showing above the ground at the moment, but it's amazing how quickly they shoot up the strings once they get going.