looks like the flow is over

[biggraham610]

Buckwheat is pretty hardy, It doesnt take much to sprout. G

[10framer]

mine got rained on the day after i planted it and i'm not sure it's had any water since.  sounds like maybe you got some bad seed.

[Dallasbeek]

I'll try sprouting some in a wet paper towel in a baggie.  Works with most things.

[Jim134]

I'll try sprouting some in a wet paper towel in a baggie.  Works with most things.

  :evil:  I wonder how many baggies and wet paper towels it would take to plant an acre of buckwheat ?




                BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[MsCarol]

10Framer suggested exactly what I was thinking and Dallasbeek, you are planning exactly what I would do - test sprout.

I didn't get the "big garden" planted this spring so have considered putting the 1/3-1/2 acre into buckwheat. Might not happen as the farmer's co-op is reluctant to order seed. I believe they sold the last bag. I would have to either have it shipped or drive further then my old truck will safely go down into AL to get it. A full bag would have enough I could scatter the remaining seed along edges of the other fields.

BTW Jim,

The wet towel is only to be sure the seed WILL sprout. Brat!!

[Joe D]

I checked the popcorn today, some don't have buds yet, some has buds in different stages, some will have flowers ready for the bees soon.  I have squash blooming, have small squash on them now and tomatoes and peppers.   Will have peas and okra will be blooming in a little.




Joe

[Dallasbeek]

Funny, Jim.  Somebody in a personal msg. Suggested I might have planted them too deep and said they want to be about 1/4 inch.  No doubt that was correct. I guess we're off topic, so i'll clam up about buckwheat.  Thanks for the suggestions, though.

Gary

[TenshiB]

I prepared a seedbed using the rotary tiller about 18'x250' and just cranked the buckwheat seed out of an old hand spreader one day when the sky got really dark and it looked like it was about to rain.. Well it didn't rain that day and so the doves and crows started getting at my buckwheat seeds! So I then lightly LIGHTLY disked it under. I drove the little tractor quickly and floated the disks to where they were maybe 4 inches down. Now I have a huge swath of buckwheat coming up!

If it hadn't been for the doves and the crows, I have had success just letting the rain "plant" the buckwheat for me.

[GSF]

Joe; Do they work the squash and okra pretty good for pollen? I also have peas, peppers, and corn. I don't think h.bees work tomatoes.

[Dallasbeek]

Bumble bees work tomatoes like crazy, but they are able to shake the blossom.  That gets some pollen for them and pollnates the tomato.  There are probably videos of that.  But that doesn't benefit us beekeepers.  Honeybees should work peas and peppers, I think.  Squash blossoms are probably too deep.  Don't know about flowers on okra.  I'll wait for somebody that knows about these things, cause I put in a few okra plants this year.

Gary

[Ryan820]

I've seen honeybees working squash flowers without a problem.


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[BeeMaster2]

I just check the Palmetto and Popcorn plants yesterday. Both are in full bloom I the Osceola national forest area.
Jim

[Dallasbeek]

Do peppers and peas have much nectar?  I can see they might have enough pollen, but havedoubts about nectar.  Nice to know squash get worked.  How about okra, sawdstmakr?

Gary

[TenshiB]

I've seen honeybees work in okra flowers--but not a lot of them. Usually there are the big bumbles and some natives that like to work the okra. Now when it comes to peas and beans, honey bees DO like those. As for the nectar content of peas and beans, not sure. You'd probably have to have acres and acres of peas/beans if you want to get a honey crop off of them.. and a great excuse to plant a ton of them is for a food plot for deer, dove, etc.. :-D

But as a rule of thumb:  bees love legumes. And you'd be surprised at the legumes out there.. Peas, beans, wisteria, red bud trees, clover, alfalfa, soybeans, lentils, and the list goes on... 

[10framer]

well, i may have called it a bit early.  i found some black gums(i think) blooming and i think it's time for persimmon to come in.  the bees were working a little yesterday after a couple of days of sitting around the hives.
soybeans are supposed to be a decent nectar plant from what i understand.  i plant 50 pounds of iron clay peas every year but the deer usually get them before they bloom.

[BeeMaster2]

Do peppers and peas have much nectar?  I can see they might have enough pollen, but havedoubts about nectar.  Nice to know squash get worked.  How about okra, sawdstmakr?

Gary

I do not have any Ocra to check it out. As far as nectar amounts, our 2 largest nectar producers are gallberry and palmetto. Both flowers are very small. Around a quarter of an inch. Each plant produces thousands.
Jim

[pumpkin vine creek]

My bees love to work squash and watermelon. This is my first year for okra, I hope they like it also. My squash is looking real good this year, already blooming.

[GSF]

I've heard some of the folks say bees can work cotton up till the goldenrod starts. Looking at the blooms okra favors cotton a lot. It too will bloom to frost if you keep the pods cut off.

[asprince]

Bees do work squash. For several years I leased my bees to a squash farmer that grew about 300 acres per year. They don't get much from squash cause my bees almost starved to death while pollinating them.

A small patch of okra will work a man to death trying to keep it cut but he can make some money.

Steve   

[biggraham610]

Funny, Jim.  Somebody in a personal msg. Suggested I might have planted them too deep and said they want to be about 1/4 inch.  No doubt that was correct. I guess we're off topic, so i'll clam up about buckwheat.  Thanks for the suggestions, though.

Gary

I have always heard that 1/4" About perennials like clover and alfalfa, I plant my buckwheat with an old corn planter, plants 3-4 inches deep, havent had any problem, Dad says it coming up good, I will check on it tommorrow evening and plant another acre or so. G