Buckwheat

Fagopyrum esculentum

Warm season, annual broadleaf traditionally cultivated as a pseudo-cereal. Prefers light to medium textured, well-drained soils; tolerant of low-fertility. Intolerant of frost, flooding or severe drought. Establishes and matures quicker than all other cover crops, forming a dense canopy and suppressing weeds. Use in double cropping systems, to prevent erosion, improve soils, disrupt root pathogen cycles, conserve soil moisture or as green manure. Hay has low forage value. White flowers attract beneficial insects and are excellent for honeybees.