Buckwheat

[dcross]

Just wondering if anyone has planted buckwheat just for the honey. I've been offered the use of two small fields, 4 acres and 2 acres, and can move hives near them. The seed runs about $28/50lbs., which is good for an acre. The plan is to plant in about two weeks, which should give it time to bloom, re-seed itself, and bloom again before frost.

[Michael Bush]

I have. It especially does well in a drought. If you stagger planting and plow it under for seed you can get a constant supply of blooms from spring to fall. I'm not sure how much of my honey was buckwheat, but it kept them from starving in the dry summer.

[cochran500]

I planted about an acre as well. The girls are working it now. Not enough to make any honey but just to give the girls something to do this summer. I was hoping to get about 3 crops out of mine.

Marty

[Danny From West Tn]

Please explain a little about buckwheat.
I have some seed ordered that I will sow in a few days. At what stage do you plow it under that it will reseed itself? Will it come back in the spring?

[Michael Bush]

If you want it to come back you have to wait until it goes to seed and then plow it under. I don't think it will come back in the spring here because a hard freeze will kill it, but in the deep south it might.

[dcross]

Found a farmer who used to grow it here, he had trouble with it volunteering in the following year's crop. Not sure if it was enough to make a difference for bees or just a nuisance for crop production though.

[Michael Bush]

I suppose it depends on if you get a late freeze if you get a lot of volunteers.