Buckwheat
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Nutrients & rotation
After a hungry summer crop, buckwheat adds leafy bulk fast, shades weeds, and feeds bees — it is not a big nitrogen fixer, but it loosens the topsoil feel and buys time before the next heavy feeder.
Classic summer gap filler: sow after an early harvest, let it bloom for pollinators if you can, then mow or till in before seeds mature unless you want volunteers.
In the garden
- Broadcast on a raked bed after watering in; keep soil moist until germination.
- Terminate before hard seeds form unless you enjoy weeding buckwheat seedlings next year.
- Works well between spring peas and fall brassicas, or after garlic lift in mid-summer.
Timing
Warm soil; often May–August in temperate zones. 45–60 days typical to lush cover.