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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Buckwheat question
  • Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 13:54:29 -0400



   1. Buckwheat Question (Richard Stewart)
   2. Re: Buckwheat Question (eric slatt)
   3. Re: Farming the back side of the calendar (Allan Balliett)

Richard,
We, too have a planting of buckwheat that waited for rain, and now is in full bloom.  Plus another coming on, to bloom later, again drought delayed.  Then what do I follow this with, and when to seed?

From seminars I've been to by Ray Weil, and tillage radish lit I've read, one gets best root mass in late Aug planting, but still benefits from Sept and even early Oct plantings, depending on the year.  Roots not as deep with later plantings, but still good coverage and nutrient trap crop.  Greens also very good eating and a niche market for green sales.

We pick and sell many late planted daikons, the latest planted ones more like French Breakfast size. But not 4 acres worth!

Ray also showed pics of strip planted daikons, saying they did better than interplanted with small grains.  So, you could split the difference by tilling and planting strips of tillage radishes in your buckwheat, and let the remaining buckwheat bloom out, then plant radishes there last.  Then see yourself optimal planting dates for daikons on your farm, at least for 2012.

How well will standing buckwheat work as a nurse crop for your winter wheat?  At least worth a try for a portion of that planting.  Don't know what signals buckwheat seed to stop germinating.  How cold does it need to be?

Good chances for some on-farm research...
Richard Moyer
SW VA
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:33:00 -0400
From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
Subject: [Market-farming] Buckwheat Question
To: OEFFA Grain Growers <grain.growers.oeffa AT gmail.com>,        Market
        Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <744875A1-1427-4124-A36F-9A700FDB2129 AT zoomtown.com">744875A1-1427-4124-A36F-9A700FDB2129 AT zoomtown.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I was growing buckwheat as a cover crop in hopes of also getting a honey crop off it before tilling it under.  I seeded with a cyclone and cultipacked and due to drought.  I was timing a planting with rain that never came.  Due to drought nothing every really come up save a couple plants here and there.  I let the plot sit hooping to plant a tillage radish by the end of August.  We just had our first decent rain fall in I suddenly have 8 acres of buckwheat growing and growing quickly.

I've never planted or had it growing this late and I am curious if anyone else has had experience with it this late in the year.  Will it make it to flowering AND still have time to seed winter wheat on one half and tillage radish on the others?

I have no problem tilling under once it gets over 12" tall but I'd like to see my bees get some honey off it prior to tillage.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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