# Buck Wheat



## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

On Aug. 15th i planted about an acer of Buck Wheat. I had read on this forum that it took about 30 days for the bees to start working it. I was surprised at how it germinated and how fast it grew. This morning i was surprised again, the bees were all over it.  :lpf:


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## GA-Mark (Sep 3, 2009)

Thats good news ,I planted 1 ac. last weekend. :applause:


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

I don't know anything about the weather in Ga. or Miss. but if it dips down in the thirty's it will kill it. If i plant buckwheat May 5, i can usually get 3 blooms from it before frost (around the 10th of Oct. here in SW Mo. Good luck. Jack


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

Usually don't frost here untill about mid Nov. sometimes latter. :thumbsup:


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

There is more interest in dark honey. Last year I had eleven hives on 17 acres of buckwheat make sure you keep up supering your hives they will pack it away when it’s in full bloom. Sales started out a little slow but as people bought it they wanted more and spread the word I was soon sold out.
This year because of dry weather from mid June to Mid August no buckwheat was planted a lot of folks still ask for it.


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## lupester (Mar 12, 2008)

is it too late to plant some buckwheat in North Texas?


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

30 days untill bloom. Idon't know when you have frost. Good Luck


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## lupester (Mar 12, 2008)

We are still in the 90s right now. The soonest I have seen freezing temps was snow on thanksgiving a few years ago.


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

Buckwheat produces more nectar if the bloom occurs after the nights begin to cool down. If you plant it now, it will bloom between the 3rd and 4th week after planting and the night should be cooling by then. It should do well unless you have a really early frost.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

lupester said:


> We are still in the 90s right now. The soonest I have seen freezing temps was snow on thanksgiving a few years ago.



Avg first frost is Nov. 17th.(60 more days) So if you get it spread pdq you might be able to get some benefit from it. Or we could have an early frost like last year and you get hardly nothing. I am sure there are a few dealers in your area that have it instock.

http://www.mbsseed.com/


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

What is the name of the buckwheat you are having success with bees utilizing?
Not a bee on mine in full bloom.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

_Not a bee on mine in full bloom._

What time did you check it? It only produces nectar in the mornings. (I've seen bees working it until about 2 on really cloudy overcast days.) Usually by noon, bee traffic on buckwheat is done.

In the mornings, the field just hums with buzzing bees. In the afternoon, you're lucky to see one or two still working it.


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

Mancan is the only named variety that I can find here. Some dealers sell seed labeled only as "common" buckwheat. The variety Tokyo is said to produce a lighter honey but I've never been able to get these seed.


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Countryboy said:


> _Not a bee on mine in full bloom._
> 
> What time did you check it? It only produces nectar in the mornings. (I've seen bees working it until about 2 on really cloudy overcast days.) Usually by noon, bee traffic on buckwheat is done.
> 
> In the mornings, the field just hums with buzzing bees. In the afternoon, you're lucky to see one or two still working it.


I start checking at around 8 am and every hour i guess, only time that I don't check is night since the bees don't normally fly then. 
Even the deer have not touched it yet and they eat everything else.
Will check with where I bought it to find out the name of it, won't plant this type again.


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## Northside Honey bees (Sep 16, 2009)

brooksbeefarm said:


> I don't know anything about the weather in Ga. or Miss. but if it dips down in the thirty's it will kill it. If i plant buckwheat May 5, i can usually get 3 blooms from it before frost (around the 10th of Oct. here in SW Mo. Good luck. Jack


I am thinking about planting a couple acres of buckwheat next year. You said you get three blooms out of it, do you mow it down after each bloom so that it reblooms? also, do you plant anything else along with the buck wheat? I am in south central Ky and there are not hardly any buckwheat honey producers around here, so not alot of people to tell me what works.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

I posted this earlier some place here, but I planted a quarter of my garden area with buckwheat last summer. In the first part of October I rototilled under but a nice crop of buckwheat came up in about three days. It died soon after due to frost.

This spring I found some buckwheat coming up (I was going to plant corn in this area this year) so I rototilled it again. After about 3 days I had another thick crop of buckwheat. I rototilled again. Another thick crop, so I just raked it that time and planted my corn.

It took 4 hoeings and a lot of pulling from around the corn, but I finally got it.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

One more thing. When I was pulling it out of the corn, some of it was breaking off up to 5-6" below the surface, so you can actually plant it pretty deep. It just probably takes longer to germinate and get to the surface. Pretty amazing stuff.


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

power napper said:


> What is the name of the buckwheat you are having success with bees utilizing?
> Not a bee on mine in full bloom.


This was mancan. I had to go find the sack.


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

I planted an acre of Mancan on July 15. Timing was perfect. It is still blooming a little bit but now the asters and goldenrod are kicking in.

My question, has anyone got an easy way to harvest it? I would love to be able to use some of this seed next year. I read somewhere that it is like harvesting oats with a combine but I doubt any of the big guys around here would mess with it, then you have to make sure it is dry enough, probably have to wait until end of OCt. to harvest. NExt year I plan to plant at least 5 acres.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

When we were hiking in Nepal a couple of years ago we found that buckwheat was a popular thing to grow there. Their farms are very small and they harvest everything from terraces by hand.

They cut the buckwheat, take a handful of the cut plants by the base and bang the head on a tarp or the ground. Then take a fan (not an electric one) and blow away the plant matter.

I am going to pull the seeds this fall and use an electric fan to try to separate the seeds. Not an acre though. Mine is about ready to harvest.

I did find the settings and procedure for a combine with buckwheat on the web somewhere. I could drive a combine 20 feet and be done with mine though.:lpf:


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## slickbrightspear (Jan 9, 2009)

If you just mow it down it does not come back you have to till it under somehow in my experience.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

_I did find the settings and procedure for a combine with buckwheat on the web somewhere._

Your fan and separator should be comparable to running soybeans.

I believe the large buckwheat farmers usually mow the buckwheat down and allow it to dry for a few days. Then they rake it into swaths and combine it with a pickup head. This is for early plantings if you are making two crops.

Often, buckwheat is planted after regular wheat is taken off in early July. It is allowed to grow until the frost, and then combined.

If you want two crops of seed, you could also spray the green buckwheat with Paraquat, and then combine after it dries on the stalk.

I've seen the Amish cut oats and wheat in bundles and shock them, and later run them through the thresher after they have dried. I don't see why you couldn't harvest buckwheat the same way. (It's probably how they did it 100 years ago when buckwheat was a common planting.)

For small plots of buckwheat, one the seeds have hardened and matured, simply grasp the stalk below the seed cluster with your thumb and finger and then pull up, stripping the seeds into your hand. For small plantings, you can save enough seed for next year in a short time.


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

Thanks BeeDee. I wonder how dry it has to bee.

I was thinking of finding one of those old scythes, cutting it off, bundling it into shocks like they used to, and letting it dry like that for a while, then doing what you suggest.

Cost me about $60 for the 50 pounds of seed I used to plant one acre. So may not be worth all the labor.


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

BerkeyDavid said:


> Thanks BeeDee. I wonder how dry it has to bee.
> 
> I was thinking of finding one of those old scythes, cutting it off, bundling it into shocks like they used to, and letting it dry like that for a while, then doing what you suggest.
> 
> Cost me about $60 for the 50 pounds of seed I used to plant one acre. So may not be worth all the labor.


My seed cost $30.00 for 50lbs. I had to get the local co_op to order it for me.


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## greengecko (Dec 16, 2008)

*Re: Buckwheat*

The first week of July I disced several long narrow strips following the contour of the land, broadcasted buckwheat seed and made a final pass with the disc. In twenty-eight days the late summer buckwheat had flowered and my bees were very actively foraging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2C3IBL-oZQ


:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

I planted mine the second week of July, did the same thing, disked the ground good first, then broadcast 50 pounds over the acre. But instead of redisking I ran over it with a cultipacker. Worked real good, took it a while to take off until we got rain but now I have a nice stand. Still some blooms but mostly done blooming.


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