Buckwheat seems to be about the best option but I wouldn’t even spend the money on it in a small plot. Its not going to make a hill of beans difference in the end and the deer will likely just wipe it out. Fill your fall mix full of clover and spend your money in the spring on improving the soil nutrients through lime and fert. Using the throw and mow method has its basis rooted in building the soil through adding lots of plant matter (biomass) and having it turn to decomposed organic matter….like potting soil. This greatly improves the soil fertility. The summer growing months are when we produce this tonnage of biomass. Most of my biomass in the summer has been produced through crabgrass and weeds. The field is still very lush in the summer though so the fertilized “weeds” are very attractive to the deer along with the clover that grows amongst them. You have to produce the biomass in order to make progress in building the soil and to have ample thatch to cover the fall seed mix that we’ll plant.

I have found through experimenting last year that you can grow a quick crop of spring turnips early on before the summer weeds and grasses take over. This just helps to add more organic matter to the soil and feed the soil microbes as the turnips rot over the summer.


Early crop of spring turnips grown in April and May……..



Spring turnips mowed down to decompose………….



Weeds and grasses eventually take over and more biomass is produced…….



Biomass is used to cover fall seed mix. All of this thatch is now about gone due to decomposing and being incorporated into the soil by the microbial community.