Growing buckwheat in your own garden is still a rarity - even though the knotweed plant is relatively easy to care for and can be processed in a variety of ways. Our post will tell you how to grow buckwheat.
How to grow buckwheat in the garden?
Buckwheat cultivation is successful with a sunny, warm location and well-prepared soil. Sow after the Ice Saints, with 25 cm row spacing and 15 cm in the row. Water moderately and stop watering after flowering. Fertilizing is not necessary.
What is important when growing buckwheat
For a rich harvest, you must make sure to choose the right location when growing. In addition, pre-breeding is recommended under certain conditions.
Pre-breeding buckwheat
Buckwheat tolerates cold very poorly. So it needs a warm soil to germinate well. For this reason, pre-growing in the house, greenhouse or under glass can make sense - but only if you want to cultivate the plant as an ornamental plant or grow it on a small scale. Alternatively, the use of well-insulated raised beds is an option. If the beds have covers, sowing a little earlier is possible. The covered raised beds offer the advantage of better protecting the buckwheat in the event of an unexpected drop in temperature.
The right location
Choose a sunny, warm and dry location for growing buckwheat. It is best to shield the plant(s) from cold wind. If the latter cools the soil, this will damage germination. Areas with high groundwater and depressions where rainwater collects are also unsuitable. You should also avoid growing your buckwheat too close to the house. The plant attracts flying insects, which can be a problem for allergy sufferers.
Growing buckwheat – this is how it works
- Dig up the bed intended for buckwheat last year and loosen it up properly. Remove weeds and enrich the soil with well-rotted compost.
- Sow the buckwheat in the spring after the ice saints (row spacing about 25 centimeters, within the rows about 15 cm apart, sowing depth two to three centimeters).
- Water the seeds moderately.
If the soil is sufficiently warm, germination occurs fairly quickly. From this moment on you can leave the plant almost completely to its own devices. Just make sure the buckwheat is slightly (!) moist throughout, but never wet. As soon as the first buds open, limit watering again. After flowering, you should no longer water the plant (exception: persistently hot and rainless phases). Fertilizing is not necessary (assuming the soil has been enriched with compost before cultivation).
