Hop growing can be finicky in the northeast. To produce a successful harvest each year, you need some just-right conditions: lots of sun, low humidity, and periods of rain. It can be tricky which is why hops aren’t a big cash crop here anymore. In this part of the country, this is about the best I can hope for when trying to grow hops. In May, we had the right conditions, so lots of growth as the photo shows.
But for other crops, wet and warm are an ideal combination to begin the gardening season.
And this May was wet, the 6th wettest in the now 57 years of record keeping to give us our second straight month of above average precipitation.
As far as temperatures are concerned, aside from the record cold high temps over the Memorial Day weekend May was just right with no frost or freeze readings and only one hot, humid day.
And what pretty flowering trees and bushes this spring?
Temperature figures showed the month finished pretty much on average.
Let us hope June turns out to be the same.
After 2020, I’m hoping for a generous hop harvest.
