After a short growth phase and a longer flowering period, the buckwheat is ready to be harvested. However, there are several points to consider when it comes to harvesting. In this guide you will learn exactly what is important when harvesting buckwheat.
The buckwheat harvest is complex and takes place in stages
General information about the buckwheat harvest
As easy as growing buckwheat and caring for the knotweed is, harvesting the small fruits, known as nuts, is just as complicated.
Buckwheat ripens unevenly - this means the grains don't all ripen at the same time. It goes without saying that these conditions make the harvest significantly more difficult. We advise you to wait until about three quarters of the grains are ripe before harvesting.
Note: Ripe kernels appear yellow-brown and hard.
Rule of thumb: If you sow the buckwheat in mid-May, you can usually harvest the nuts from the end of August to mid-September.
It should also be noted that the fruits are loose, which is why there are often high harvest losses. Early frosts also have an extremely negative effect. The average grain yield is 500 to 1,500 kilograms per hectare.
Basically, the amount of harvest depends on
- the weather conditions,
- the variety and
- the pest/disease infestation.
Practical tips for harvesting buckwheat nuts
If you harvest the nuts with a combine harvester, you have to carry out the threshing more gently than with grain. To do this, widen the grain or corn concave. The optimum fan and threshing drum speed is around 600 rpm (revolutions per minute).
Option: As soon as the first grains begin to fall out (mid-July), you can also place the buckwheat in swaths. Then thresh the grains after a week's resting.
After harvesting, you must immediately dry and clean the crop to preserve it.
Attention: A high harvest moisture (over 25 percent) can quickly lead to the complete spoilage of the nuts. Dry the crop to about 14 percent.
- for seed production at 40 degrees Celsius
- for consumer goods at 50 degrees Celsius
After drying, the buckwheat needs to be hulled, for example in a professional mill. The grinding of the gluten-free pseudo-grain is also carried out by a corresponding facility. However, this task can also be easily accomplished with a standard household grain mill.