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Growing Practices:

Latin Name: Fagopyrum esculentum

Days to Maturity: 80

Description:

Fagopyrum esculentum

This is a colorful-flowered mix of common buckwheat that I grow to attract native pollinators, wasps, flies, and beetles, who provide free pest control for me.
The original seeds consisted of several red-flowered buckwheats, some white buckwheats, and a landrace from France that produces long, slender, and grey seeds.
It is a beautiful mix of whites, pinks, and reds.
The seeds are harvestable, and I use to grind into flour for pancakes and incorporate into other baked goods.

Common buckwheat is less productive for me than tartary buckwheat, but I find the insect attractant and the beauty of the flowers are an added bonus. The flour tastes different, too, but not in a bad or good way, just different, and a change is nice sometimes.

Plant seeds after last frost in common garden soil 1/2 in deep in rows 6-12 inches apart. Larger seed and row spacing allows for larger, multi-branched plants. It takes about 90 days from seeding to harvest.