| So you are considering a new garden plot. If | | | | keep the soil damp until it sprouts, about 3 |
| you plan on a 25 by 50 foot garden with 3" of | | | | to 5 days should do. |
| compost to get it started that is going to | | | | |
| require 312.5 cubic feet or about 12 cubic | | | | The cover of the ground will be intense. |
| yards of compost. Realizing that a third of a | | | | Weeds will try to grow but will be crowded |
| compost pile can be lost due to moisture and | | | | out by the buckwheat. Scientists have |
| carbon dioxide loss while it is being made, | | | | reported that the crop can be used to |
| about 18 yards need to be produced which | | | | eradicate Canada thistle, sowthistle, |
| means in turn a pile 3 feet by 3 feet by 54 | | | | creeping jenny, leafy spurge, Russian |
| feet. This is a lot of material and a lot of | | | | knapweed and perennial peppergrass. |
| work. While there is still work involved, the | | | | Quackgrass will likely be controlled but not |
| material can be home grown. | | | | eliminated. |
| | | | |
| The simplest way of composting in this | | | | One of the problems with buckwheat is it may |
| situation is to perform an old farming | | | | deplete the nitrogen in the soil. This will |
| practice developed before the days of | | | | not be a problem for us because we will |
| chemical herbicides and fertilizers, green | | | | return it with the composting. Once the |
| manuring. Just as a compost pile by passes | | | | buckwheat is starting to bloom it is time to |
| the need for a horse to make manure, green | | | | stop its growth before it seeds and becomes a |
| manuring bypasses the need for a pile to | | | | weed problem itself. There are two choices. |
| generate compost or usable organic matter. | | | | One is to cut it down and compost it |
| Instead of moving material to a pile and then | | | | traditionally and then dig in the stubble. |
| from the pile to the garden, we grow it in | | | | The other is to dig in the whole plant. This |
| place. One of the simplest materials to use | | | | is by far the most effective method. The |
| and an easy one to get seed for is buckwheat. | | | | stems are hollow and easily dug in with |
| | | | shovel or tiller. It leaves all the nitrogen |
| First dig over the garden plat and get it | | | | available for the soil and adds a lot of |
| ready to seed. Do not worry about removing | | | | organic matter, up to 3 tons per acre of dry |
| the sod as you might in a normal situation, | | | | matter plus the extensive root system. It |
| just break it up and bury it as you go. Sow | | | | also adds a lot of potassium to the soil. The |
| the buckwheat heavily, as much as 1 to 2 | | | | garden should be left for two weeks before |
| pounds of seed for the 25 by 50 plot. This is | | | | planting the next crop to begin the breakdown |
| a heavy sowing if growing for seed but not | | | | or composting in the soil and ready it for |
| for organic matter. Just rake the seed in and | | | | the next crop. |