One of my personal favorite cover crops for New England and the NorthEastern U.S., Buckwheat can be eaten as a cereal grain or turned into flour, but it’s not only beneficial for us as a food source. A member of the knotweed family, buckwheat’s root systems are extremely efficient at loosening soil and sequestering water. As the plants grow they can double as a fast-growing shade cover for emerging crops, trees & shrubs- and they can be used as a source of phosphorus and calcium if chop & dropped as a cover crop. The flowers also attract beneficial predatory wasps and a multitude of pollinators. The grains are edible and highly nutritious.