No, buckwheat does not need a lot of water to grow well. The buckwheat water requirements are lower than most other summer crops you might grow in your garden. Once your plants get going they handle dry spells better than many common vegetables.
I noticed this during a hot dry July when my beans and squash were wilting by noon each day. The buckwheat patch right next to them stayed green and perky without any extra water from me. It kept flowering and setting seed while other crops suffered from the heat.
Buckwheat works as a drought tolerant cover crop because it uses water well. Research from eOrganic shows buckwheat uses about half as much soil moisture as soybeans do. The surface root system grabs water fast when rain falls. Then the plants use it bit by bit during dry stretches between storms.
SARE guides say buckwheat thrives in summer without irrigation in most climates. You do not need sprinklers or drip lines once your stand gets going. The plants grow fast during hot dry months when other crops would need constant watering to survive.
Your buckwheat irrigation needs are highest right after planting. Seeds need steady moisture for three to five days to germinate well. Dry soil during this window leads to patchy stands with bare spots. If rain is not in the forecast you should water your seedbed before and after planting for good sprout rates.
After your seedlings pop up and grow their first true leaves they need much less attention. The spreading roots find moisture on their own in most soils. I tested this by skipping all irrigation on one patch after the first week. It grew just as tall and green as the watered patch right next to it.
Very long dry spells will slow your buckwheat down even though it tolerates drought well. The plants may flower less and set fewer seeds if they go more than three weeks without rain. You can boost your yields during severe drought by giving one deep soaking in the middle of the growth period.
The low water needs make buckwheat perfect for summer cover cropping when you do not want to run irrigation lines. You plant it when other crops would demand constant watering just to stay alive. Buckwheat fills that hot dry gap in your rotation without adding to your water bill or your workload at all.
Read the full article: Buckwheat Cover Crop: Complete Growing Guide
