buckwheat

[10framer]

my buckwheat looks so much better this year than it did last year.  my bees were working it at high noon today.  it's hard to believe that such white flowers can produce a honey that looks like burnt motor oil.

[splitrock]

Wonderful stuff!

Nothing like a heavy Buckwheat bloom.

[10framer]

i haven't eaten it in a long time but remember absolutely hating it when i did.  i have a dearth this time of the year so i plant it so the bees have something to do before i make next splits.

[Dallasbeek]

10framer,

My little test planting of buckwheat finally came up and started blooming at about 4 inches height.  You're right, they are pretty little white blossoms.  I'll plant some more, but not so deep this time.

Gary

[asprince]

Is buckwheat like clover? Does it come back each year after planting?


Steve

[splitrock]

"Is buckwheat like clover? Does it come back each year after planting?"

If it goes to seed it will come back. I think it's considered an invasive plant.

[splitrock]

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"i haven't eaten it in a long time but remember absolutely hating it when i did.  i have a dearth this time of the year so i plant it so the bees have something to do before i make next splits."

It took me a while to acquire a taste for it. Now I think it is pretty good. Seems around here, half the people think it's great, and the other half think it's awful.

It's nice it blooms so quick, I can take all the clover or light honey off, and get a second crop of buckwheat.

It sure is good for you though, and works very well on coughs.

[10framer]

steve, i have some coming up in my okra right now and i planted that area last year.
next year i'm going to plant a few acres.
dallas, mine is about a foot tall.  last year it only got about 6 inches and had maybe 1/4 of the blooms but the seed i used was old.

[Dallasbeek]

I have a wildflower park near me i'd like to see buckwheat becoming invasive in.  It's probably 30 acres of wild area.  Buckwheat would just be another wild thing that would feed the bees..  Do they get as much pollin as nectar from it?  Vice versa?

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

I think if you get caught spreading seed in a wildlife park you are going to be in some serious doo doo. but I am just guessing really. maybe they'd like it.

[Dallasbeek]

Those "wildflowers" didn't get there on their own.  There are many non-native varieties growing in the park, which was once part of a farm.  Other parts became the subdivisions surrounding it and the original farm's owner gave acreage along a creek to the City for park land. 

Gary

[asprince]

Where can I get some seeds?


Steve

[asprince]

Will it grow in shaded areas?


Steve

[Dallasbeek]

Will it grow in shaded areas?


Steve

I doubt it.  Few annuals, particularly grains, grow well in shade.  But it doesn't do well in hottest part of summer and is grown commercially only up north in the U.S.

Where to get seed?  Try area farm stores.  Or order online.  i Googled it and got prices ranging from 25 pounds for $29.95 to 1 pound for $5.00, Plus shipping cost in both cases, I suspect.  Bulk would be less.

[buzzbee]

Buckwheat is good for the soil as it roots deeply and fixes nitrogen,It is also an excellent green manure when tilled in. It does flower pretty profusely,however the nectar shuts off abruptly mid to late morning and bees will become testy if nothing else is blooming to occupy them the remainder of the day. Up North it's definitely an annual and likes to die back if frost is even forecast in the newspaper. ;)

[10framer]

steve, i had to have the feed store in box springs order a bag for me.  it was $40.00 for 50 pounds.
ken, i've always heard that it shut down too but mine were covering it up around noon today.  i have it planted on a north west slope so it may not be getting full sun until about that time of day. 

[capt44]

I plant buckwheat here every year.
From the time the seed sprouts it will bloom in 21 days or so and stay blooming for a few weeks.
I usually plant a new batch every 4 weeks in different locations.

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

Ya buckwheat usually does extremely well up here in Michigan. I've grown it a few times in the past, but haven't the last few years. It is really healthy stuff to eat as well as the honey from it, and great as a cover and rotation crop. I usually plant it later though. The saying is a extra 60 lbs/acre of honey for a hive. Though sayings are just that, sayings.

[10framer]

yeah, i'm not seeing that extra 60 pounds but it's giving them something to do in what was a dearth last year.

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

Ya...lots of sayings out there, lol.