The cultivation of 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 many ways. Our post will tell you how to grow buckwheat.
Buckwheat likes it warm and sunny
What is important when growing buckwheat
For a bounty harvest, you must be careful to choose the right location when growing. In addition, pre-breeding is recommended under certain conditions.
Pre-cultivation of buckwheat
Buckwheat tolerates cold very badly. So it needs warm soil to germinate well. For this reason, pre-cultivation indoors, in a 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, well-insulated raised beds can be used. If the beds are covered, 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 buckwheat cultivation. It is best to shield the plant(s) from cold winds. If the latter cools the soil, this damages germination. Areas with high groundwater and depressions in which rainwater collects are also unsuitable. You should also avoid growing your buckwheat too close to home. The plant attracts flying insects, which can be a problem for allergy sufferers.
Growing buckwheat - that's how it works
- Dig up the bed intended for the buckwheat in the previous 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 centimetres, within the rows about 15 cm spacing, sowing depth two to three centimetres).
- Water the seeds moderately.
If the soil is sufficiently warm, germination will occur fairly quickly. From this moment on, you can almost completely leave the plant to itself. Just make sure the buckwheat is slightly (!) moist throughout, but never wet. As soon as the first buds open, cut back on the watering. After the flowers have faded, you should no longer water the plant (exception: persistently hot and rainless phases). Fertilizing is not necessary (provided the soil has been enriched with compost before cultivation).