READER'S GARDEN
Home-made or shop-bought garden compost, shredded bark, grass clippings, and straw, all make great mulches but we caught up with Premysl Fojtu on Orkney to hear about his experiment last autumn using spent hops as a mulch.
For mulching purposes, spent hops are very effective in keeping down weeds and retaining soil moisture in shrub borders and soft fruit plots, provided the ground is covered really thickly.
"On the way back home from the other side of Orkney Mainland, we had to drive with the windows slightly down to allow fresh air circulation. Had we been stopped and ordered to step out of the vehicle, the odour of beer would have been strong enough to make the police officer take a step back. Our car boot was heavy, with full of bags of treasure: spent hops from a local brewery.
"We like to experiment with different mulches in the garden, and have tried all sorts: bark, woodchip, Strulch, sheep wool, and seaweed. So when a friend told us about the possibility of getting spent hops from the brewery as he had, to use as a mulch - natural, full of goodness, available on regular basis, in large quantities, for free - we were all for it straight away.
"On a windy day in November, we covered a freshly established shrubby bed with spent hops, and the odour of beer spread across the whole garden and maybe even to the neighbours.
"At the end of the winter, once we resumed works in the garden again, we decided to continue with our hops mulching in various areas of the garden.
"The hops we had laid down in November proved somewhat wind resistant with the majority of what we spread still on the ground, with the exception of a bit of a scattering on the lawn during the highest winds. We were not concerned by that as we knew it would disappear naturally once the grass started growing. And if anything, when shredded by the lawn mower and left on the grass, it could actually act as a lawn fertiliser.
"The colour of the fresh material is slightly pale olive green. It fades over time on the ground, just a bit towards pale yellow-grey. Once out in the open the scent of ale lasts for about a week and disappears completely.
"We have been to collect around 7 or 8 loads so far, each consisting of 9 bags well packed with 10-15kg of hops mulch. There is 'juice' leaking from them during transport so if you plan a trip to your local brewery to collect some, your safest bet will be with a trailer. We did not have one for the first few loads, so we used a 2 foot deep rubber tray in the boot of our car, and a builder’s bag to keep the bags of hops from spilling.
"The hops are stable on bare ground on their own during the wet winter months as water helps them bond together and keep as a solid layer.
"When drier though as it warms up in the spring, and with wind always being an issue in Orkney, when the layer gets disturbed through any planting jobs, or simply with birds scratching about in it, wind can carry the hops around the garden as loose flakes or in clumps.
"Some of our hops beds developed bare patches and the lawn was getting increasingly messy from the mulch carried around on windy days so we decided to add woodchip as a top layer this spring on the already dressed beds.
"That proved to be the perfect combination during the whole growing season: soft hops directly on the soil, keeping it moist and soft, even during spells of dry and warm weather, slowly breaking down into the soil and improving its quality, then a thin, cost effective layer of woodchip on top, weighting the hops down in all weather conditions and adding a natural look at the same time.
"We have trialled hops mulch for a year now, and we are confident we have found the most practical way of application in the garden.
"We only learned once we had mulched everywhere that hops are toxic to dogs so the top layer of woodchip also acts as a protector. For us as gardeners, it was the fertilising effect of the mulch that convinced us to keep the hops in place with the added safeguarding element of a layer of woodchip, rather than get rid of them in case a visiting dog would attempt to eat them.
"If you live in an area with a brewery not too far away, then you have nothing to lose by speaking to them about the possibility of using some of their spent hops, for a trial at least, but who knows, it may as well lead to a long term, mulchy partnership."
If you would like to see your garden featured in a future edition of Scotland Grows magazine, please do get in touch to mail@scottishgardeningmagazine.com - we would love to hear from you!