FieldNotes: Cover Cropping With Buckwheat

2024 brought a year of experimentation! Since we are utilizing a no-till system, we are constantly looking for new ways to build our soil, increase biodiversity, decrease weed pressure, and minimize pests. This year, we trialed a method called cover cropping, which checks all of those boxes! 

The term “cover crop” is all over when you look up buzzwords such as no-till, regenerative agriculture, biodiversity, soil regeneration, soil erosion, and many more related to soil and ecosystem health. But what exactly are cover crops? Cover crops are mainly used for improving soil health and biodiversity. They get planted in fields that would otherwise be bare—in between growing seasons if your season is long enough—for example, to protect the soil from erosion and nutrient loss. Some common types of cover crops are mustard, buckwheat, alfalfa, rye, clovers, peas, radish, vetch, and Sudan grass, just to name a few!

Why use cover crops? Whether you have a small-scale garden or a multi-acre farm, the beauty of cover crops is that they are versatile and can fit into all spaces and can be useful for all growers. Why is that? Because no matter what you are growing, large or small, your flowers or vegetables are pulling nutrients from the soil, and those nutrients need to be replenished for your subsequent harvest to be as bountiful! Most cover crops have the ability to fix nutrients in the soil, like nitrogen, adding to its fertility. They also help smother weeds, attract pollinators, increase water availability, and decrease pests. 

With South-East Wyoming’s altitude, our list of cover crops to choose from is more limited than milder growing zones. Our production team considered a variety of things when choosing a cover crop such as: having a short growing season (maturity within 80 days), being pollinator friendly, being easy to work into the soil for green manure without a tractor or tiller, and being good at suppressing weeds. Short, plump, and prolific, with white flowers, buckwheat makes for a striking field of flowers when in full bloom and satisfied all of our needs in a cover crop.

Short Growing Season: 

With 40–50 days until it begins to flower, buckwheat is one of the quickest growing annual cover crops, making it a great option for high-altitude growers with short summers. Since it is a heat-loving crop, we broadcasted our buckwheat in early July in a freshly tarped and broad forked 40x 40-foot plot at the Farm at Albany County Fairgrounds. By August 2nd, our buckwheat had sprouted healthy 5-inch sprouts in luscious, vibrant green. Buckwheat will also die off come the first signs of frost, making it easy to work into the soil in the fall but can be worked into the soil at any stage for green manure. 

Pollinators and Beneficial Insects 

Buckwheat is an amazing pollinator for bees and other native pollinators and is popular among beekeepers due to its 6-8 week flowering time. Its extended bloom time makes it a great option for attracting pollinators beyond just bees as well, including other beneficial insects that prey on pests. Many people will plant strips of buckwheat in pollinator strips, especially among brassicas, which attracts beneficial insects that prey on aphids. 

Building Soil Structure and Suppressing Weeds 

Buckwheat is a great, non-invasive way to smother summer weeds! Because of its quick growth, a dense patch of buckwheat can out-compete tough weeds while contributing to building soil structure. Our buckwheat smothered around 85% of the weeds and grass growth in our patch this year, which was huge success in terms of time, efficiency, and labor!

While buckwheat doesn’t add nitrogen or many other macro-nutrients to the soil, research shows that buckwheat is uniquely good at making phosphorous more available in the soil; phosphorous is one of the three main soil nutrients that plants need, along with nitrogen and potassium. All soils have some phosphorous in an available form that plant roots can absorb, but the majority of soil phosphorous is in an unavailable form that the plants can’t access. Buckwheat roots release acidic compounds that help convert some phosphorous from the unavailable to the available form. 

So far, we are thrilled by the results! Bees—native and non-native—from hives that are located on the farm are dancing throughout our 40-foot patch. As promised, the time to bloom was about 45 days, which was a pleasing result, as sometimes we have found things take much longer to flower than advertised on seed packets. The flowers have been in bloom for over three weeks and have just started to turn brown due to cold nights beginning in September. 

If you are looking to add fertility to your garden, increase biodiversity, and decrease weed pressure, buckwheat may be a great option for your high-altitude garden. Consider planting in between your crop rows or alternating your crop rows with buckwheat strips!