Buckwheat is a versatile plant often used in gardening for its numerous benefits, especially in companion planting systems. Companion planting involves growing different plant species together to enhance growth, deter pests, or attract beneficial insects. Buckwheat, while not a true grain, is a fast-growing annual that plays a supportive role in various garden settings.
Key Benefits of Buckwheat
Buckwheat offers several advantages in a garden or agricultural system. It attracts beneficial insects with its shallow, white blossoms that produce abundant nectar, appealing to pollinators like honeybees and native bees. These flowers also draw in predatory insects, including hoverflies, ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, and parasitic wasps, which help control common garden pests such as aphids and mites. This reduces the need for chemical pest control, fostering a more natural ecosystem.
Buckwheat also effectively suppresses weeds. It establishes quickly, forming a dense canopy that shades out and outcompetes many annual weeds. This rapid growth prevents weed seeds from germinating and reduces weed pressure. Its weed-suppressing ability is useful for keeping unplanted areas clear or managing weeds between main crops.
Buckwheat also contributes to soil improvement as an effective green manure. When tilled into the soil, its rapid decomposition adds organic matter, enhancing soil structure and improving tilth. Buckwheat is known for its ability to extract phosphorus from insoluble soil sources, making this nutrient more available for other plants.
Plants That Benefit From Buckwheat
Many garden plants thrive when grown near buckwheat due to its benefits. Various vegetables, including brassicas, cucurbits, and tomatoes, can experience increased pollination and reduced pest issues. Buckwheat encourages a higher population of pollinators, leading to better fruit set and yield for fruiting vegetables like peppers, squash, and melons. It can also act as a trap crop for certain pests, diverting them from desired vegetables.
Fruit trees and orchards also benefit from buckwheat. Planting it as an understory crop attracts pollinators crucial for fruit production and helps manage weeds on the orchard floor. Buckwheat’s soil-improving qualities also support the overall health and nutrient uptake of trees.
In larger agricultural contexts, row crops gain from buckwheat’s presence. Its ability to suppress weeds can reduce the need for intensive cultivation or chemical herbicides. The improved soil structure and nutrient availability also support the growth of these crops, especially those that are heavy feeders or require consistent nutrient access.
Practical Application of Buckwheat
Effective use of buckwheat in companion planting requires careful consideration of timing and planting methods. Buckwheat prefers moderate temperatures and is sensitive to frost, so it is typically sown after the last spring frost. It can be planted as a short-term cover crop before main crops, intercropped between rows, or sown after an early harvest to rejuvenate the soil. Its rapid growth means it can go from seed to flower in about six weeks, making it suitable for quick rotations.
When planting, buckwheat seeds can be broadcast over a prepared seedbed and lightly raked in for good seed-to-soil contact. For larger areas, drilling seeds at a depth of 0.5 to 1.5 inches in rows is also effective. A seeding rate of approximately one pound per 500 square feet is often recommended for home gardens. Buckwheat thrives in well-drained, light to medium soils and does not require high fertility, making it adaptable to various garden conditions.
Managing buckwheat involves timely termination to maximize its benefits and prevent unwanted self-seeding. It is recommended to cut or mow buckwheat within 7 to 10 days after it begins to flower, before seeds harden and mature. If the goal is to attract beneficial insects, allowing it to flower for at least 20 days can support multiple generations. Buckwheat can be incorporated into the soil by tilling, or left on the surface as a living mulch, providing organic matter and continued weed suppression.
Important Considerations
While buckwheat offers many advantages, successful integration into a garden requires certain considerations. A key point is managing its tendency to self-seed. If allowed to go to full maturity and set seed, buckwheat can readily reseed itself, potentially becoming a volunteer plant in subsequent seasons. Terminating the crop before seeds mature prevents it from becoming a persistent presence in the garden.
The timing of termination is crucial to avoid this issue. Cutting or tilling the buckwheat when in bloom, before viable seeds develop, effectively stops the self-seeding cycle. Though volunteer buckwheat is easy to manage through light tillage or hand-pulling, proper timing reduces this extra effort.
Buckwheat primarily attracts beneficial insects and pollinators. However, like any flowering plant, it can occasionally attract a small number of unintended insects, such as Lygus bugs or tarnished plant bugs. These instances are less common, and the overall benefit of increased beneficial insect populations outweighs this concern.