Buckwheat

Buckwheat is annual and dies after the first frost. Overwintering is neither necessary nor possible; leave the dead plant lying as mulch or compost it. If you want some again next year, sow afresh from mid-May after the Ice Saints, as soon as the soil is at least 10 °C.

You propagate buckwheat exclusively by direct sowing outdoors. Be sure to wait until after the Ice Saints (mid-May), because the plant is very sensitive to cold and even a light frost kills the seedlings. The soil temperature should be at least 8 to 10 °C; it germinates more quickly at 12 to 15 °C. Sow the seeds broadcast or in rows (row spacing about 15 cm) and work them in 2 to 4 cm deep, then press down lightly and water. Buckwheat germinates quickly (often after just a few days) and afterwards needs neither fertiliser nor any special protection. If you want to collect your own seed, harvest the nutlets when about 70 to 80 % of the grains are ripe and brownish; they ripen unevenly, so do not wait too long, or the first seeds will drop. Cut the plants off close to the ground and leave them to dry further, head down, in a dry, airy place, then you can thresh out the grains. Harvest before the first autumn frost, since the plant is annual and not hardy. Natural self-seeding does not work reliably in the climate of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, because the heavy nutlets mostly stay where they fall.