How to grow buckwheat

Frost-tender · Knotweed family

When to sow and plant

Sow outdoors 6–20 May

Frost-tender: everything 17 days later, so it only goes outside once there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years.

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

Sow outdoors: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (SARE, Managing Cover Crops Profitably: Buckwheat)

Good and bad neighbours

We don’t know any sourced neighbours for this plant yet.

Crop rotation

Our sources give no separate break for this family.

The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2030.

At a glance

Family: Knotweed family (Polygonaceae)
Frost: Tender to frost
Spacing (row × plant): 15 × – cm (6 × – in)
Life cycle: Annual

Questions and answers

When can I sow buckwheat?

Sow outdoors, average for Germany: 6–20 May. That is the date after which there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant buckwheat?

15 × – cm (6 × – in) (row × plant), according to SARE, Managing Cover Crops Profitably: Buckwheat.

How long a break do buckwheat need in the same bed?

Our sources give no separate break for this family. The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

Sources

Show 3 sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.