Buckwheat

[Cabin Fever]

Anyone have any experience with deer usage of buckwheat? Been toying with the idea of throwing some in buckwheat along with winter wheat, winter rye, and Buck Forage Oats in a 1 acre plot. I've read some say that the deer devour it and others say that they won't touch theirs.

[TOMMYTOOSONS]

They will eat it when it's young,but once it flowers they could care less.i use it in all my plots in the spring to keep the weeds at bay and till it in before my late summer plantings.the turkey love the seed and its cheap to buy.if you till it after it goes to seed it will regrow.kind of like a two for one planting.

[WesternNY]

I tried it twice, both spring plantings.... one year nothing, this year they did eat it, or it was the bears.

 

It is cheap and easy to grow.  It Smells funny.

[Cabin Fever]

Hmmmm. I wonder if a fall planting would be any different? It will freeze out, right? Come back next spring?

[G-Man]

if you want seed, 4th of july is best time to plant. deer eat mine plant when growing and seeds when grown, turkey as well. honey bees love it and it makes a top quality honey. as well as sobekowa pillows from the seed hulls, and flower for buckwheat pancakes.....mmmmm

[landtracdeerhunter]

Plant buckwheat between June 10th to July 26th.  At least in WNY.. Buckwheat doesn't grow well in hot weather. We use to plant 4 - 5 planting for pancake flour through that time frame. Some would yield 5 bushel / acre, others 20 bu. / acre.   The grain has sharp points on it . Maybe deer might leave it alone for that reason. Buckwheat blossoms close at 12 noon, the honey bees get nasty and sting the deer. Deer never did eat the plants, that I remember.

 

We always considered buckwheat honey, the lowest of grades, being tough to get rid of. Use to sell over a ton of honey every year.

Edited September 8, 2013 by landtracdeerhunter

[Berniez]

landtracdeerhunter We always considered buckwheat honey, the lowest of grades, being tough to get rid of. Use to sell over a ton of honey every year

.

​Its all a matter of perspective: Eastern Europeans and Greeks consider buckwheat honey superior to the  mild flavored clover honey and pay a premium for it.. (I used to raise bees and still have a few hives),  Buckwheat honey is an acquired taste but makes for some great desert crusts (Greek Baklava) in pies and cakes (the famed Polish Honey cake.) Buckwheat is gluten free and when ground is called kasha

Deer eat buckwheat especially when it first grows.  It is very easy to grow, crowds out weeds, makes for a great green manure when plowed under. The first frost kills it and after a heavy frost it breaks the plant down completely offering zero cover..

If your just going to throw it in a mixed plot......try it and tell us how it goes.