"After nearly
ten years of trying, in the summer of 2008 it was finally
decided that the wildflower meadow at Ventnor Botanic
Garden was simply unsustainable, due to the effects
of rabbits and the encroachment of pernicious weeds.
Instead of simply grassing the area over, it was decided
to develop a commercial hop yard. Hop growing was once
an important part of the Island's economy and in 1852
the Isle of Wight was the fifth largest hop-producing
county in the UK. Due to economic pressures, and changes
in the brewing industry, there is not a single hop yard
or oast house left.
Growing hops
has been a learning experience for us; there is a dearth
of printed literature on the subject. We were greatly
helped by Peter Davies, a retired hop grower from Hereford,
whose family has been growing hops for generations.
One of his early revelations was that we needed a licence
to grow them!
Hop growing
will be a useful educational subject for visitors to
the garden and there are many ways we can link this
to the Island's heritage."
Anthony
Goddard from Goddard's Brewery at Bullen Farm, Ryde
has agreed to be involved in the development of the
hop crop.
