Bringing Hops Back to Kent Community Hop Farm

Bringing Hops Back to Kent By David Poore

It is two years since a small group of friends came together to talk about the idea of a community hop farm in Hythe, and took the first important decisions… such as what to call ourselves… and we became Hythe Hops. Over the course of these two years we have grown significantly from the group of six or so that originally chewed over the idea over a glass of beer or two. So, what have we achieved, where are we now and what plans/hopes do we have for the future?

© Paul Cochrane

We have grown our community… the germ of our idea is now a very solid reality. Our 119 members tend 195 hop plants in 99 locations in private gardens, allotments, in pots and in the ground. Whilst we are all “Hythe Hops growers” our hops are also to be found in Sandgate, Folkestone, Dymchurch, Ashford, Acrise, Sellindge and Lydd.

We have harvested our hops successfully and this process is a new experience to (almost) all of our members. The challenge is to organise to one (or more) days convenient for as many growers as possible to harvest and deliver these in preparation for the next stage of their journey. Across two harvest days this year growers picked 71kg of hops to be weighed in and logged for bagging up and delivery onward to our partners.

Those partners are local brewers and dryers – HopFuzz has supported us generously this year and last; Docker Brewery is a new partner this year. This season we have dried about half of our harvest, thanks to a further new partner, Hukins Hops at Tenterden.

Our hops make good beer! Hop Buzz (a green hop ales) was our first brew this year –the same recipe as last year - and has been very well received in local pubs from Folkestone to Dymchurch. After this initial brew, we can now also use our dried hops to continue to deliver beer made with local hops right through to Summer 2021! Fortunately, under current Covid-19 restrictions, Docker Brewery is making all of our brews with them available in cans and will even do home delivery!

What have we learned? Although generally tough and easy to grow, hop plants are not indestructible – and the dry and windy weather this year was especially challenging for both new and second year hop plants. Some fell prey to sooty mould, others to wind damage, lack of water and others never really got out of the blocks. Luckily, these long-lived plants are very hardy, and in most cases we expect they will revive next season and continue to crop for up to 15 years. One thing we can confirm: a zinc-galvanised grower is not suitable for a hop plant – certain death!

Where are we headed? A good number of local pubs and hotels have joined our community and grow hops in their beer

© Paul Cochrane

gardens, and this is a connection that we hope to expand. Growing hops and then selling beer made with those same hops is proof of the local food story that we are proud of. We also would like to see more hops grown on community land, and there are discussions underway which we hope will see sponsored hops around Hythe and maybe elsewhere.

The Covid-19 situation this year has severely limited our social activities, and whilst Zoom is very useful, it cannot replace the face to face mingling and chatting that brings our community together. We have every hope that next year will be very different and bigger! We are always looking for new members, so why not join our merry band of local growers:

For more info visit: http://hytheenvironmental.community/ hythe-community-hop-farm/ To sign up with Hythe Hops next year: email hythe.hops@gmail.com

BRITISH FLOWERS ROCK! Grown Not Flown Supporting UK suppliers. By Jo Wilson.

In light of our current situation, many of us are continuing to adapt in a stoic and pragmatic way. There are some who have begun to depend upon local farms or shops to supply them with food and household items that supermarkets have been unable to provide, thereby changing the way they shop, relying on local rather than imported goods.

We have also, perhaps, learned to forego some luxuries, whilst clinging on to others. If, like me in the past, you have readily added a bouquet to your shopping delivery basket, or clicked and sent a celebration bunch, without knowing where the flowers have come from, you may be interested to know that over 90% of cut flowers are imported. This practice not only comes with a heavy carbon footprint, but also fails to support the network of incredible nurseries and growers within the UK. In warmer countries, a lot more water is used, flowers are stored in big freezers, and smaller, less vibrant plants are packed tightly for long-haul transport. I have been in conversation with Ben Cross –aka ‘Alstroemeria Ben’ – a fourth generation grower at Crosslands Flower Nursery in West Sussex, about growing all year-round Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily). These are everpresent in bouquets, highly durable and pet-friendly. I am interested to learn about supporting UK growers, boosting sustainability, and highlighting the need to invest in our economy. 1. Where is your business based and how would you sum up your focus and ethos? I’m a fourth gen grower here at Crosslands Flower nursery which has been going since 1936 and we have been based in Walberton near Arundel since 1957 where I live today. 2. How has the virus outbreak affected the day to day running of Crosslands? Because I live on the flower nursery it’s been life as normal on the nursery so I’ve been lucky I can keep busy and both mentally and physically fit. 3. How would you describe the Alstroemeria flower? Alstroemeria is known in the UK as ‘dry crop’ and a ‘cool crop’ as it’s very sustainable to grow here as it takes little water in the summer months and little heat in the winter to grow and produce flowers. 4. Propagation of Alstromeria is done by rhizome division, or growing from seed - are these both easy to do? All our plants are grown under licence and are not your average garden varieties as they are bred for their vase life and colour for the cut flower trade. But the public are best to buy the plants of the garden varieties online, in garden

“Over 90% of cut flowers in the UK are imported and the environmental impacts of that are huge! ”

centres or at garden shows. 5. Finally, what would you say to convince a new, or reluctant, customer, that buying from a British grower is the best choice? Over 90% of cut flowers in the UK are imported and the environmental impacts of that are huge! My blooms have much less of a carbon footprint, no chemicals are used after harvesting, we use bio control instead of pesticides, and our flowers are fresher and will last longer. Remember British flowers rock

Ben’s nursery contributes to a sustainable way of life, as chemicals are not used to spray the plants, and packaging is both recyclable and reusable. As well as employing local people and running apprenticeship schemes with local horticultural colleges, Ben also visits floristry colleges to give his British Flowers Rock talks, and campaigns avidly to spread the word about British flowers. Something to think about, next time you pick up a bunch!

Crosslands Flower Nursery can be found near Arundel, in the village of Walberton, West Sussex.