Planted plot today

[tooln]

With rain in the forecast I tilled and planted. I broadcast WR, Oat, AWP's & Buckwheat. Last year I cut and shoved in the ground a basswood for a rubbing/licking post. I couldn't believe when I saw it budding.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

Did the same today. Put in 1/3 acre of clover and 2/3acre of Sugar Beets

 

[bueller]

You guys are way ahead of me, haven't even ordered seed yet. Tooln have you planted buckwheat this early before. I usually plant late may and still get below freezing temps on most years.

 

[bowhunternw]

Did you do some kind of deep ripping last fall?

 

[kabic]

What was the cost per pound for buckwheat? I want to see if Thiesens price is competitive. Think they may be a little high...I paid $6 a pound for white clover yesterday.

 

[tooln]

Last weekend I ran the sub soiler through the plot. I don't remember the cost of the BW, it was left over from a few years ago. I also have never planted BW this early. More of a test than anything.

 

[tooln]

What was the cost per pound for buckwheat? I want to see if Thiesens price is competitive. Think they may be a little high...I paid $6 a pound for white clover yesterday.

I looked up my receipt the AWP were from 2012 and I paid 1.29 per pound & the BW was 64.50 for a 50 lb bag.

 

[Scenttrails]

I paid a $1.00 per pound for buckwheat at Elk Mound Seed Co. A couple of weeks ago. First time planting it and thought I should wait until frost chance goes down towards end of May.

 

[wiscwhip]

Scent, that would be a good idea. BW likes very warm soil and will take off quickly once the soil temps reach 75+ degrees. Nothing wrong with what tooln did, and I think it is a great test, but the risk of slower than normal growth and the risk of losing the whole thing to a late frost is very real in that situation. I honestly don't want to see tooln's plot get frosted out, but it would be interesting to see, if it did get down to about 26 degrees or so, how much frost tolerance it really does have in the early vegetative growth stages, as we all know that frost will smoke the mature plants later in the season. I have a theory that the young growing plants might just be able to survive a bit lower temps than the mature plants that have used up their energy producing seed.

 

[bueller]

Scent, that would be a good idea. BW likes very warm soil and will take off quickly once the soil temps reach 75+ degrees. Nothing wrong with what tooln did, and I think it is a great test, but the risk of slower than normal growth and the risk of losing the whole thing to a late frost is very real in that situation. I honestly don't want to see tooln's plot get frosted out, but it would be interesting to see, if it did get down to about 26 degrees or so, how much frost tolerance it really does have in the early vegetative growth stages, as we all know that frost will smoke the mature plants later in the season. I have a theory that the young growing plants might just be able to survive a bit lower temps than the mature plants that have used up their energy producing seed.

I tend to agree with you because I have seen my buckwheat get frosted a week or two after planting. Really had no noticeable effect. But in Tooln's case his may get frosted a month after sprouting. I'm not sure it will survive that.

 

[kabic]

I had fall plot get down in low 30's high 20's and the Buckwheat seemed fine. On the other hand this plot was towards the top of hill\ridge and cold air pools down hill. Once it got to lower 20's I think that is when it died.

 

[kabic]

Anybody have a website that shows the historic daily lows and highs? I found my thead on QDMA and my buckwheat died between Oct 5th, 2012 and Oct 16th 2012.

It looks like most of buckwheat died. There was couple of nights were the low was in the 20's and I guess that was too much for it.

The buckwheat that is still there is very small. Maybe it sprouted after the cold nights.

Over all it was a little tougher than I though it would be.

 

[tooln]

This is a test, this is only a test. If it would have been an actual planting of BW I would have waited another 6 weeks.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

Buckwheat will grow early in the spring but WILL be killed by any frost. I have a plot that I disked up in my back yard that I grow for my bees. It finally got rained on about 10 days ago and is now sprouting up everywhere. I will still kill it off before I replant so it is weed free....but it is going good despite the cool weather.

 

[shawnv]

Looks good, I assume this is just to hold up until you do the fall round?

 

[tooln]

Looks good, I assume this is just to hold up until you do the fall round?

Yep, weed control and building some organic matter.

 

[SmallChunk]

I planted my little < 1/4 new plot into Buckwheat on the 23rd. Looks to be growing fine even though it got below freezing a couple of times since. I noticed on a few of the early growers that the leaves got burnt.

 

[SmallChunk]

Lesson learned. We must have hit about 24-25 degrees at the farm and the buckwheat was toast! Looks like I try again!

 

[bueller]

Lesson learned. We must have hit about 24-25 degrees at the farm and the buckwheat was toast! Looks like I try again!

Memorial Day weekend is perfect timing for buckwheat in Central WI. Been doing it for years.

 

[wiscwhip]

Memorial Day weekend is perfect timing for buckwheat in Central WI. Been doing it for years.

The weekend before at the earliest, at least in the Juneau sinkhole anyway.