Quick, Fast, and Easy: Growing Annual Buckwheat as a Cover Crop

If you need something that grows quickly in case of an emergency, buckwheat will perform well. Buckwheat’s seeds germinate in three to five days, making it one of the fastest cover crop options available.

Warm-season annual weeds don’t stand a chance against the quick growth and shade of buckwheat. Cover your garden in buckwheat when you want to eliminate weeds between crop cycles.

Buckwheat has plenty of fine roots that can break up and condition the soil, perfect for getting the soil ready for fall crops. Combine buckwheat with driller radish for a clay soil amendment. 

Buckwheat is much more efficient at this process than other cereal covers. Its fibrous root clusters take up phosphorus (and other nutrients) and produce mild acids to release these nutrients into the soil. As the residue from buckwheat’s green manure breaks down, these nutrients become available to later crops.

When buckwheat flowers, it has beautiful white blossoms. The nectar-filled blooms attract bees, lady beetles, and other beneficial insects. These insects help control aphids, mites, and other pest populations. 

Buckwheat outperforms cereal grains on low-fertility soils or soils with high levels of organic matter and can be used to replenish over-farmed soil and cleared land.

Buckwheat is a fast-growing broadleaf crop that is excellent as a cover crop for the home gardener. It does well in poor soils and reaches maturity in 70-90 days. The residue breaks down quickly for green manure. It is not bothered by most pests or diseases, so no extra pest management is needed.

Even though buckwheat does well in cool conditions, it is not frost-hardy and is not well adapted to winter growing. It also fares poorly in hot, dry conditions, so we recommend it for a short-season cover, especially in midsummer.

The drawback of growing buckwheat as a pollinator habitat or as a food crop is the risk of reseeding. If you wait too long, some of the seeds will escape and scatter into the soil. To prevent buckwheat from becoming invasive, mow about 7 to 10 days after flowering begins, well before seeds begin to harden. The residue can be left on the surface or turned back into the soil.

Buckwheat is an easy, quick-growing cover crop for soil protection and weed suppression and can easily be prevented from becoming invasive with a little bit of care. We especially recommend it for use during those times when you’ve had a crop failure or planting has been delayed because of weather or other emergencies. It pairs well with red clover for maximum soil conditioning and replenishment.