Buckwheat - Key Growing Information
Uses: A fast summer cover that smothers weeds and protects soil from erosion. It also improves soil structure, building aggregates and easing compaction. The grain can be milled into flour or cooked whole, and bees work buckwheat flowers heavily, making it a valuable nectar source.
Culture: Buckwheat grows quickly in warm weather. Plant from late May through July, once killing frosts are over. For a fall grain harvest, sow at least 12 weeks before a killing frost; for a fall cover, at least 4 weeks before. Plant seed ½–1" deep and rake it in lightly. If broadcasting, use the high end of the seeding range; if drilling, sow 1–2 seeds per inch in rows 4–6" apart (about 55–60 lb. per acre). You can grow two or more crops in a row, sowing the next right after the previous one is terminated. The lush growth breaks down quickly once worked in. It doesn't fix nitrogen, but it pairs well with a legume or fits into a sequence of short cover crops through the season. It reseeds readily, so incorporate it before seed forms if you don't want volunteers. Serious pest and disease problems are uncommon.
Seeding Rate: For green manure: 2–3 lb. per 1,000 sq. ft., or 50–90 lb. per acre. For grain: 1½–2½ lb. per 1,000 sq. ft., or 48–64 lb. per acre.
Light/Soil Requirements: Full sun to part shade in ordinary soil. It even thrives on marginal ground, making it a useful short-term soil builder for poor sites. Best pH is 5.0–7.0; avoid heavy, waterlogged or strongly alkaline soils.
Height: 2–5' or taller.
Harvest: For grain, cut after a killing frost once plants have dried down, then thresh and mill to remove the hulls.
Termination: You can end a buckwheat stand at any stage, but the best time to work it in is 7–10 days after flowering begins, before seed sets. It's easy to kill by tilling, mowing or tarping; tarping goes more smoothly if the crop is crimped or mowed flat first. Buckwheat is frost-tender and dependably winterkills.
