Buck wheat for bees

[surjourner]

I am curious if anyone has planted buckwheat for bees?
I planted some last year along with amaranth and few of bees from hive we had here seemed to notice it. I had read buckwheat is supposed to be a flower bees love. Can honey bees actually access buckwheat flowers.

[David LaFerney]

Bees can and do access it, but they tend to hit it in the morning and not in the afternoon because of the way the plant produces nectar.  So, they may have used it more than you saw depending on your schedule.

[Kathyp]

i plant it.  they love it.

[surjourner]

I hope to try it again this year and keep a better eye on them then.

[doak]

Bingo on the time of day. Some produce nector in morning, others mid day, some in afternoon/evening. :)doak

[heaflaw]

I plant it for fall nectar to help them build stores for winter.  It's easy to plant-just barely cover the seed. 

[harvey]

I plan on buying some and planting it this year also.  I have heard though that some brands are better or more productive than others.  The grainery here carries macana seed.  What other brands have people used that seemed to work or not work?

[surjourner]

I had good success last year with seeds of change certified organic seeds. Lots of blooms let birds have most of what was produced looked to be a lot of seeds.

[luvin honey]

May I slightly hijack this thread with a few questions of my own?

1. Does buckwheat self-seed successfully multiple times per year?

2. Does it ever become obnoxious or invasive?

3. How high does it grow?

I bought a couple lb last year but never planted. I'd like to have it in a few rows of my CSA gardens and wonder what to expect from it. Thanks!

Love that buckwheat honey, BTW!

[Kathyp]

it probably depends on where you are.  this will be my 3rd year with it.  it did reseed last year, but i had pigeon problems.  my season is relatively short, so it did not reseed and grow again in one season.  i believe i have solved the bird problem, so i hope that there will be more from last  years crop that will grow on it's own.  cindi said hers did spread.  i planted over an acre and there is plenty more room, so it can spread as it wants.

it does not seem to compete well with pasture grass.  i had to plow up each year the area i have planted.  the bees really liked it and i got some of my late season honey from it.

[doak]

Buck wheat is an Annual and does not or cannot become obnoxious invasive or any otherings.
It may reseed during the present growing season but I don't think it will carry over to the next season as well as some things, vetch, clover, etc. :)doak

[heaflaw]

It needs well tilled soil and like kathyp said won't do well in pasture or fields.  I've never seen it sprout anywhere except where I've been planting it.  I plant it on an old garden spot & after it blooms, if I rake the fallen seed or go over it with a drag, it will keep resprouting.  I have to water it in the summer.  I've had a decent stand come up the next spring from seed laying dormant over winter.  It gets about 5-6 inches tall with small, white blooms.  You can plant it very thickly.  I've never had pure Buckwheat honey, but it used to be grown as a crop in the Northeast and Appalacians and the honey is supposed to have a very distinctive taste.

[gardeningfireman]

I planted some last year. It grew to be about 15" tall. The bees were all over it in the morning when it produced nectar. If you want to see your bees work something all day, plant liatris (a perennial) or cleome (an annual). Bees love both of these!

[luvin honey]

Thank you for the very helpful replies. It sounds like it will be perfect as part of a buffer strip in tilled ground in my CSA gardens and that maybe I could even get 2 stands in 1 season! Excellent!