Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a fast growing, very beneficial annual crop. Buckwheat is a very popular cover crop, used to smother weeds and improve soil tilth for the next crop.
Buckwheat can also be used as an emergency crop for late planting and can be double-cropped after spring cereals.
Buckwheat plants flower profusely, making them also ideal to beekeepers as a nectar source for pollinating bees.
Buckwheat is also used for livestock grain, as well as in food products, such as flour, noodles and makes excellent bed pillows.
Establishment
Plant Buckwheat at a 1/2-1″ depth when chance of frost is over.
The warmer the soil and temperature, the quicker the buckwheat will emerge and mature. Buckwheat seeds will typically germinate in warm soil in 3-4 days, flowers will appear in approx. 3 weeks and after the flower is pollinated, a full sized seed head will form within 10 days.
Buckwheat is not frost tolerant, the later it is planted in the spring, the faster it will mature. Buckwheat grows best on soils that are not too compacted, even by wheel traffc, as this will stunt buckwheat growth. Soils for buckwheat also should not be too coarse.
Management
Buckwheat doesn’t require high fertility, but does benefit from modest levels of nitrogen.
Full maturity for Buckwheat is 11-12 weeks.