Buckwheat is a short season crop which germinates in as little as 4 days. It is used here to quickly cover the ground and to prevent weed seeds from germinating. As the buckwheat flowers it is cut to prevent it from adding unintentional seeds to the soil and becoming a sort of weed itself. The buckwheat is scythed after allowed to flower for a short period-for the bees! This stand of buckwheat is mixed with annual ryegrass and sweet clover. After the first cutting, the sweet clover takes advantage of the extra light, and begins to mix with the grass.
One pass with the scythe in a clockwise direction.
The second pass completed.
The third pass around completes the scythe job.
Next we collect the straw for use as mulch.
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