Growing Buckwheat for Your Small Farm

[@Godwh1sperer]

Loving this presentation. Buckwheat, like legumes, multiplies the nitrifying bacteria in the soil that turn the nitrogen of the air into nitrogen in the soil. This is why buckwheat is so great for low nitrogen soils, it makes its own nitrogen. Its an excellent plant for unusable soil, like a strip of soil beside your driveway, it reseeds with beautiful white flowee, enriches the soil with nitrogen and crowd out weeds.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you very much for watching our video and thank you for taking the time to leave us helpful information. We greatly appreciate it!

[@Godwh1sperer]

@@LinessaFarms for you and all who watch your well made, engaging tutorial. Buckwheat has very much to offer also for gardeners and people who want to render cleared ground higher in nitrogen and with weeds crowded out. I'm looking into the idea of planting corn, and when it has a head start, scatter buckwheat in between, so the buckwheat provides extra nitrogen to the corn

[@LinessaFarms]

@@Godwh1sperer we have farmers in our area that are using airplanes to broadcast buckwheat over fields when the corn is about 12” high. It seems to be working well.

[@Godwh1sperer]

@@LinessaFarms thats great, you solved that one for me thank you!

[@1stBumbleBeeMaster]

Awesome Video. I grow Buckwheat for my honey bees and bumble bees. Try this method on your farm for continuous flowering. 35 foot wide strips x 4 start as soon as no more frost is expected Sow your first strip the length of the field. 2-4 weeks later start on the next strip, then the 3rd strip 2-4 weeks after then the 4th and final strip 2-4 weeks again. You can be picking seeds from the first row while the 3rd strip is coming into flower and 4 strip not even started flowering. I do this with black mustard as well and radish with amazing success.

[@LinessaFarms]

That’s great! Thanks for sharing. 👍🏻

[@horizonfaith7567]

That’s brilliant!

[@brianwilson9031]

As a raw vegan, I eat a lot of buckwheat! I loooove it!

[@klaudia711]

you eat it raw? Surely it’s too hard?

[@brianwilson9031]

@@klaudia711 I don't anymore. I turned to fruitarianism, over 3 months ago!!!

[@arogue469]

I came across this video looking for plant ideas for honeybees. I honestly have to say it's one of the best informational presentations I've seen on KZbin.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you. Good luck with your bees. We think buckwheat is a great option. If you would like something that is more permanent, you may want to consider clover. Unfortunately, frost will kill your buckwheat and you will more than likely need to replant annually.

[@paoemantega8793]

Linessa Farms are top drawer :)

[@CraigTalbert]

This is the best buckwheat video on KZbin.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thanks, Craig!

[@nancywebb6549]

Thank you. I learned all I was looking for without the entertainment found on most sites!

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello, Nancy. Thank you for taking the time to watch our video and thanks for taking the time to leave us a nice message.

[@PeterSedesse]

If you go the next step and process your buckwheat into flour, it sells at a good price because of being glutton free as well as it's use in Asian noodles and pancakes.

[@LinessaFarms]

Very cool. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a message about this.

[@jeffyneedsanap]

My neighbor has a small orchard and honey bees....planning on planting some Buckwheat in my backyard for them. Thank you for the video!

[@spets234]

My, my, the beenapper...

[@kenmosely540]

Its considered a pretty valuable crop here in Preston county wv cause we have a fall festival centered around buckwheat thousands of buckwheat cakes consumed

[@anniebarnes7412]

do you have a video to show how you harvest the buckwheat seed to gain and how you made the buckwheat into hays? if now, would you please be so kind to show us how? Thank you!

[@LinessaFarms]

Annie, thanks for watching our videos and thank you for the comment. We will have some upcoming videos about hay making, which is generally no different than any other hay process. We cut and bale our buckwheat with commercial equipment the same as all our grass and alfalfa hay. Unfortunately, we do not process the buckwheat grain past the point of planting as a seed. There is specialized equipment needed to process buckwheat for human consumption and this is something we don't do. Sorry!

[@yossimeyer1887]

Awesome video! We want to use it in a small space to attract bees to pollinate our garden!

[@LinessaFarms]

Great! Thank you!

[@sanchesseli]

Buckwheat honey is my favourite one.

[@raniramchandani]

so so so informative!!

[@LinessaFarms]

Thanks for watching our videos. We appreciate your support and kind comment.

[@timmooney2460]

Just started a very small patch in my back yard here in zone 9 central Florida. I want to harvest the seeds for making buckwheat flour . Do you have any pointers? It has only been 1 week and I have some small plants poking through the soil. I am starting with side facing 4x10 raised bed. This is my first year growing some food items in my back yard .Thanks for any help you can give me.

[@LinessaFarms]

I don’t have much experience with processing buckwheat for flour, unfortunately. I believe there are mechanical devices needed to separate the outer hull from the seed. This probably isn’t helpful, as you already know this. 🫤 Our program basically involves raising for cover crop and for hay. If you do find any information about processing for flour on a small scale, please let us know. Thank you!

[@melissamybubbles6139]

If I put buckwheat in the bald spots in my lawn, would it work well in that setting?

[@LinessaFarms]

Buckwheat is a seasonal, warm weather crop and usually doesn’t survive mowing well. You would have to replant every year, more than likely.

[@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240]

Thank you so much for the very helpful information could you give me a link for where you get your buck wheat seeds thanks

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello John. We actually purchase our seed in bulk from a local seed dealer. He’s a old-school guy and still does all his work with pen and paper. The cost of purchasing through a local dealer as compared to online is substantial. There are a couple different routes I would advise going. 1. Contact a local farmer you know and ask him/her who their seed dealer is. Contact the dealer and they should be able to help you out. 2. Contact your local grain elevator or co-op and tell them you are looking for a seed dealer in your area and they will be able to help you out.

[@LinessaFarms]

Do not purchase online unless you absolutely have to.

[@bodssg4605]

You forgot to mention the number one reason to grow buckwheat. Because its delicious. Pancakes, noodles, crackers, etc.

[@LinessaFarms]

True. Thanks for watching our video!

[@IntegratedPestManagement]

Great videos and great info! New Sub 😉

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you! We appreciate you sharing and taking the time to write a comment.

[@tomoyukiuno4868]

Thanks for the very informative video. As a lover of soba (noodles made of buckwheat and water) I felt that you guys are missing out on a great gluten free meal opportunity but of course people have their own food cultures. but maybe French food? if you have goats- goat cheese/rocket salad/walnut/honey buckwheat galettes? Just some random thoughts. You inspired me to try planting buckwheat at home. Take care!

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you for your feedback. We will see if we can get some soba and let you know what we think. Thanks for supporting our channel, it is appreciated!

[@BronzeTheSling]

そばは美味しいですよ！

[@PRDreams]

Would Amaranth be a good feed for goats? We humans can eat the leaves as we would spinach. I would like to know a good mix to plant in small patches around the property - can't have exclusive areas as is mainly planted with citrus and coffee - so that it could be turn into hay.

[@LinessaFarms]

You would have to check with someone in your area to find out if it will work for you. Here in the states we have some plants in the amaranth family which are considered toxic for sheep, goats, cattle, and swine. www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/WS-44-W.pdf

[@MistressOP]

The music on this a lot. Also great infomation.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you. We have come a long way with our videos since this one and we agree the music is a bit much. 😬

[@JustSomePerson8]

Wish I knew what the expected harvest is for each plant for the seeds. Would you get half a cup of seeds per healthy plant?

[@LinessaFarms]

Per plant is an extremely difficult ratio to give you numbers on. There are way too many variables to factor in. Buckwheat which is grown correctly produces about 20-30 bushels per acre. A bushel of buckwheat is approximately 52 pounds. So, you can figure an acre will give you between 1200 and 1500 pounds of buckwheat. You can adjust the math based on the size of your buckwheat plot.

[@JustSomePerson8]

@@LinessaFarms omg awesome thank you

[@rettif9]

Does buckwheat grain make up part of your feed, or do you ever allow your goats and sheep graze standing buckwheat?

[@LinessaFarms]

This is a great question. We will allow limited grazing as it causes photosensitive reactions in the skin and can cause some discomfort for the animals. We do not currently harvest the buckwheat itself as we do not have anyone in our area with the combine attachment to do so.

[@shellyharrell4865]

@@LinessaFarmsand it doesn’t have the same effect after it’s been dried for hay?

[@elenagisa1318]

brilliant video, subscribed

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello, Elena. We appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to leave us a nice comment. Thank you.

[@Elias_Halloran]

beautiful

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you!

[@alexdol811]

Bees love it too.

[@LinessaFarms]

That is for sure! All bees like buckwheat. Unfortunately not all people like buckwheat honey!

[@gssines]

@@LinessaFarms I'd love to grow buckwheat, but found I need a deer solution or I'm wasting my time and money. I naively thought the deer would wait to eat the seed after it had flowered for the bees. But the deer here in western Maryland started hammering the young tender greens not long after emergence. Severely stunted the growth of the entire field, but I have to say the bees were all over what little did manage to flower. Please let me know if you have a deer solution I'm unaware of. I can't afford to fence my half acre plot. :)

[@jennystaker1320]

Hi, how long do you need to leave buckwheat prior to baling for hay please.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thanks for watching our videos! Buckwheat can be cut and baled in many different stages. We feel the best stage to cut and bale for hay is just as the flower heads are beginning to bloom. This also provides the highest protein content. However, if you would like the best chances of reseeding, you will want to wait until the buckwheat has gone to seed. Making hay is a complicated task that depends on a lot of different factors. The equipment you use, the crop, the weather, the type of bales you will be making, etc.... in the end, baling is a process of drying for long term preservation/storage. In order to be successful, the material needs to be adequately dried in order to bale to prevent rot and spoilage. Buckwheat has large leaves and will take longer to dry down than other plants such as thin stemmed grasses like teff. Clover, alfalfa, and other legumes tend to take longer to dry down as well. The ideal time to cut your hay is when the weather will be warm, breezy, low in humidity, and without rain in the forecast. For an area with temperatures 75F and above, you can expect your buckwheat to take approximately 4-5 days to adequately dry down. Again, remember a lot of this has to do with your hay making process. How is it cut, how is it laid out to dry, is it being turned while drying, etc.... generally speaking, you will be able to tell when it is dry enough to bale by simply picking it up and feeling it. If it’s wet, you’ll know. Another point to consider is, the leaves will whither and become much smaller. Don’t expect your finished hay product to appear leafy. The less the hay is handled between cutting and baling, the more it will stay intact. I hope this information was helpful for you and if you have any other questions, please let us know. Tim

[@philstat100]

Thank You.

[@wadebarnes6720]

Which buckwheat is the best to buy

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello, Wade. This article should help you out. wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/grain-month-calendar/buckwheat-december-grain-month

[@noobergoober7486]

I agree, I couldn't finish the video because of the background music.

[@davidwhite4474]

How can one get seed ? Will the peanut loom grow here ? I'm not too far from you in Illinois .

[@LinessaFarms]

David, we can ship you seed depending on how much you need. Feel free to contact us via email at [e-mail]

[@davidwhite4474]

@@LinessaFarms Thank you very much .

[@saradhipapisetti1265]

Flowers super sir

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you!

[@1010JenFriend]

Do u have any good info, experience, tutorials, etc on agrohomeopathy?

[@LinessaFarms]

Agrohomeopathy is an interesting subject we have not delved into on our farm. Partially due to a lack of time and partially because we haven’t had an instance arise where we had a need. Our crop growth here is mostly grains of some sort which are in turn used for hay. Oats, buckwheat, teff... our animals produce 90% of our fertilizer. Most of our crops are not susceptible to any kind of disease/sickness that is highly prevalent in our area and we are fortunate to have good soil. If we ever produce any educational material on the subject, we will definitely let you know.

[@MrCheckitout123]

just plant a 40' x 150' area of buckwheat. any tips on harvesting the heads. thanks

[@LinessaFarms]

Once the plants are mature, the seeds fall right off of the plant if shaken lightly. You could cut some plants and shake them over a tarp depending on how many you need. If you are wanting buckwheat for consumption, they need to be hulled. There are mechanical means for doing this but I don’t know enough about it to give you any guidance on the subject. This just isn’t something we do here on our farm. Thank you for your question!

[@gregcrowe8885]

I'm back. getting closer. I buy heirloom buckwheat seeds soon

[@LinessaFarms]

Awesome Greg. If you need us to help you get some seeds, just let us know.

[@stevebrown6793]

If I did let my buckwheat reseed itself , then 5 weeks or so later seeded a crop into it and rolled it down , would I get buckwheat over taking what I plant in it ? Thanks

[@LinessaFarms]

Hi, Steve. Maybe. It won’t be as significant but you’re going to get some. If you roll it down green before it goes to seed you won’t get enough back growth that should concern you and it should give you some good green manure for your seeding.

[@stevebrown6793]

@@LinessaFarms Are you talking about the 2nd growth / reseedi ? Thank you

[@Forester-qs5mf]

how do you harvest it?

[@LinessaFarms]

We use ours for hay. For grain, there is an attachment farmers can use on their combine similar to a head used for soybeans.

[@nickgarber413]

Can you have sheep graze buckwheat instead of turning it into hay at the same you would normally cut it for hay?

[@LinessaFarms]

Yes. They can graze the buckwheat. Just keep in mind that once they eat it down, it won’t grow back.

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

If I plant buckwheat in my backyard, will every deer for 100 miles come eat it up?

[@LinessaFarms]

Probably not 100 miles....

[@nancywebb6549]

😸😸😸

[@amberemma6136]

how can you keep the seeds for feed and still harvest hay? It sounds like when you harvest hay you lose most of the seeds, which reseeds the feild which is nice but I would actually like to keep the seeds to sprout for my chickens in my whole grain feed mix.

[@LinessaFarms]

This requires special equipment. You may be able to reach out to your local USDA office for more info on people in your area that can harvest buckwheat. Thank you for watching!

[@bradley200711]

buckwheat (the seed) is also used as cheap dog food.

[@LinessaFarms]

I did not know this. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 👍🏻

[@Boingfish1]

Very informative video, thank you! Consider dropping the repetitive and distracting back ground music.

[@LinessaFarms]

Ha! Agreed. This was actually one of our first videos. We have come a long way since then. Thank you for watching our videos and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

[@Magdalin7]

Interesting, 👌👍 and thankyou

[@helenschultz6658]

Can chicken eat buckwheat? I would like to grow some in the Western Cape of South Africa, if it is safe for chickens it will be a winner!

[@LinessaFarms]

Yes, chickens can eat buckwheat. Buckwheat is a nutritious and healthy food that can be a great addition to a chicken's diet. Buckwheat is a good source of protein, fiber, and other nutrients that can help to keep your chickens healthy and happy. When feeding buckwheat to your chickens, it's important to ensure that it's cooked and cooled before offering it to them. Raw buckwheat can be difficult for chickens to digest, and it may cause digestive problems.

[@helenschultz6658]

@@LinessaFarms thank you, I hope I can find it in South Africa.

[@CapnChkn1]

What is the Cultivar? Not all buckwheat works for bees.

[@LinessaFarms]

Great question! We use “common buckwheat” which is Fagopyrum esculentum. This produces small white flowers and is the buckwheat variety you see pictured in our video (all the pictures and videos are actually from our farm). There are other varieties which may not work as well for honey bees. With this being said, make sure you ask your seed distributor about what variety you are getting. Here in the USA, this is more than likely the variety most common bulk seed distributors will carry. Most activity will be noted during the early morning hours. Nectar flow will significantly decrease as the day progresses and by late afternoon, you will not notice much foraging activity at all. Thanks for your question!

[@anniebarnes7412]

How many one of 10 frame Langstroth beehive for one acre of buckwheat ?

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello Annie. This is very difficult to answer because it depends a lot on your bees, weather, crop yield, and other factors as well. Basic hive management is usually best. With Russian bees, in the past, we have been able to fill up almost 8 frames a week (we use 8 frame equipment). Sorry we can't give you a better answer, just too many variables.

[@anniebarnes7412]

@@LinessaFarms thank you for this great video and the reply!

[@cassandrahuskey4703]

Where do you order tour buckwheat seeds ??

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello, Cassandra and thank you for the question. Most seed distribution companies carry buckwheat. Depending on which state you live in, you should be able to do a simple google search for seed companies in your area. Most seed companies have business reps that will be more than happy to help you out. For a 50 pound bag of buckwheat, you’re probably looking at about $50 give or take. I would not advise buying online as it will be considerably overpriced in most cases. Seed companies will gladly sell you a single bag. Hope this helps and let us know how it works out.

[@cheryldenkins1597]

Baker Creek seeds has buckwheat seeds.

[@marlenepopos12]

Can bunnies eat buck wheat hay?

[@LinessaFarms]

Hello, Marlene. We do not have bunnies but see a lot of information out there saying they like it.

[@marlenepopos12]

@@LinessaFarms thank you

[@omaimaali5969]

My understanding is that buckwheat if left to flower, then it becomes like a weed and will keep coming back which means that if I plant it to improve soil for other crops, then I will not be able to plant something else in its place after killing it (and after it has flowered); is that correct?

[@LinessaFarms]

That’s a great question. We have planted many acres of buckwheat and have never had it come back in any noticeable quantity the following year. It will go to seed but without some type of cultivation and compaction, it seems to not reseed very well. We have really good luck with reseeding after making hay but I attribute that to raking, tedding, compaction from equipment, etc.... I had a small plot of buckwheat from this spring that I allowed to go to seed. I mowed it down with a mulcher assuming it would reseed itself and it has not come back at all. So, to make a long story short, if you plant buckwheat and allow it to go to seed, you will more than likely see very minimal regrowth unless you take steps to promote regrowth. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

[@omaimaali5969]

Linessa Farms, LLC thanks for the reply. I will try it this summer

[@orvlehman5135]

why would you grow buckwheat if you don't eat the berries?

[@LinessaFarms]

Many reasons. Green manure, runoff protection , honey bees, animal feed, general inexpensive ground cover, hay.

[@helengaughn2283]

Please don't play music in the background of your videos. For older and hearing impaired viewers it is quite distracting. Thanks

[@LinessaFarms]

Hi Helen. Thanks for watching our videos and your feedback. We have eliminated any background music in our more recent videos. 👍🏻

[@RM-mr1mc]

Thank-you

[@giemarban186]

sir where i can order buckwheat seeds for planting ...virgie from Philippines

[@LinessaFarms]

I am not sure due to your location. You can try amazon but more than likely you will have better luck going through alibaba.com

[@bluzman1940]

@@LinessaFarms Try Handcock seed company Dade city fl.I buy mine there.

[@lauranyc4966]

I Heard recently in Russia older ppl pension gets calculated by how many kg of buckwheat they can afford every months 😄 I guess Russians obsessed with buckwheat 😁

[@MKQO1]

However, some people is very allergic to buckwheat.

[@LinessaFarms]

This is true. Some livestock will develop very bad sun burn and eczema if they eat it as well (in some cases).

[@edwinhoepker4736]

Call boning clover seed

[@LinessaFarms]

Thanks

[@PennsylvaniaFarming]

You didn't mean to say nitrogen fertilizer. I think you meant commercial fertilizer because soybeans produce there own N.

[@LinessaFarms]

Correct. Thanks.

[@PennsylvaniaFarming]

On another note. thanks for the informative video on buckwheat

[@verawol3111]

Can rabbits eat buckwheats hay?

[@LinessaFarms]

We have friends that feed common buckwheat hay to their rabbits with no issues. I do not know about other types of buckwheat and do not have much personal experience in the matter.

[@gregcrowe8885]

I want to raise for eating groats. United States smarter 1910. survival super food more so today

[@LinessaFarms]

Buckwheat grows very quick and easy and if you play your cards correctly, you can easily get multiple crops in one year.

[@gamewizard1760]

Now word at all about actually eating buckwheat?

[@steviacatnip9744]

The banjo music is really annoying! Why does nearly every KZbin have to have terrible music? The video is good otherwise.

[@moonbeamer4468]

Stevia Catnip Stop whining.

[@louisalevine3711]

I agree, it made it difficult to pay attention.

[@raymondbetemps4556]

@@louisalevine3711 I agree with Stevia...Some of us (myself mostly) have a hard time hearing the narration if there is other noise(music) added. KZbin has many good videos that I can't hear because for some reason they add music.

[@bluzman1940]

I like the banjo.Stop complaining..

[@susanmarsh5648]

I have to agree it is difficult to focus on info with music

[@HappyNomad33]

pure buckwheat noodles for gluten intolerant people like me is very expensive to buy.

[@LinessaFarms]

Yes. It’s amazing how expensive buckwheat products can be.

[@OWK000]

With the massive amounts of gluten intolerance going around from autoimmune liver damage from vaccines, there should be a greater call for buckwheat here in the states. It is expensive and harder to get now, than in the years ago before I was vaccine damaged. I can't even get an edible loaf of gluten free bread anymore. I can't get 100% rye bread anymore. So, I have to bake my own. And I live on the urban corridor in California. Whole foods sucks. I miss old fashioned health food stores.

[@LinessaFarms]

Buckwheat production used to be huge and the use of anhydrous basically destroyed that. We bake all our own bread as well! Thanks for watching our video and thank you for taking the time to leave us a message. 👍🏻

[@loneranger5349]

Man is a slow talker get to the point please 🙏

[@LinessaFarms]

The KZbin algorithm likes it more when people watch longer. Just kidding. This was one of our early videos. It’s a work in progress. Thank you for watching.

[@marypatten9655]

Thank you.

[@LinessaFarms]

Thank you, Mary. We appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to leave a nice comment.