Buy Buckwheat Green Manure Seeds x 100g : £1.35 250g : £2.35 500g : £4.15 1kg : £7.45

Buckwheat is a fast growing short-term summer green manure that germinates in about 3-5 days. It produces a dense canopy of foliage that smothers & outcompetes weeds and once dug into the top layer of soil (15-18cm) rapidly decomposes helping to improve the soils structure & organic matter content so it can retain more moisture.

If left to flower buckwheat produces pretty little pink flowers that are loved by bees & beneficial insects, but as with majority of green manures it is better to dig in whilst young & green rather than old & woodier as they decompose more rapidly (maybe leave just a few to flower). It is especially important to dig in before going it goes to seed as it germinates very easily & may produce lots of unwanted volunteers. It can be topped if done early.

However Buckwheat is an annual that is susceptible to frost so early spring or later autumn frosts will kill it. Keep eye out for late frosts in May.

Buckwheat is thought to produce toxic substances that inhibit the growth of other seeds particularly effective against the germination of annual broad-leaved weeds. This is known as 'Allelopathy'. This can be a problem if small vegetable seeds are sown directly after buckwheat has been dug in, like carrots or parsnips so leave a month before sowing seeds. It doesn’t cause any problems for small seedling transplants.

Buckwheat can be sown anywhere in crop rotations.

When to Sow

Sow Dates:

Growing Period:

2-3 months

Soil Type:

Nitrogen Fixer

How to Sow:

Clear area of weeds especially perennials, rake soil to a fine tilth. Broadcast sow seed and rake in to a depth of 1cm, can also be sown in rows 20cm apart. Firm soil and gently water. Keep moist until seed germinated.

Qualities:

Excellent at suppressing weeds and has bulky foliage that adds lots of organic matter to the soil which helps soil structure/moisture retention. Flowers loved by bees/beneficial insects.

Area Covered: