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Post by littleminnie on Aug 15, 2010 17:40:45 GMT -5
I am planning to buy a seeder and a flame torch between now and next April. Any recommendations?
Most of my seed beds are 3-4 feet wide. I plan to use the seeder mostly for peas, beans, root veggies, lettuce, spinach, other greens. So i don't know if I want to pay for the multi-row seeder or just use the single row several times in a bed.
Also when you soak your seeds first, can you just set them to dry for a bit and use the seeder as normal? I like to soak most seeds first (what a difference with corn!)
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Post by spacecase0 on Aug 16, 2010 18:03:58 GMT -5
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 16, 2010 18:34:14 GMT -5
I have used Earthway seeders for 30 years. They work great. Planting
would be a huge chore for me without one. (I plant about 2 acres)
I can't see any reason why they wouldn't work with larger pre-soaked
seeds as long as they were not dripping wet.
Soaking would change the number of seeds per foot that are dropped,
but my biggest complaint about the earthway seeders is that they
drop too many seeds. I normally cover every other hole on the
seed plate so that I don't have to do so much thinning. (Except with
Blacktail mountain watermelon, which I seed 4-5 times to get an
acceptably thick planting once they germinate.)
They work best with a careful person... Someone who is going to listen
to the sound of the seeds dropping, and stop to investigate when the
sound of the mechanism changes... (Sometimes a seed can jam
and stop the planting motions even though the thing is still being
pushed down the row.)
Regards,
Joseph
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Post by spacecase0 on Aug 16, 2010 18:44:06 GMT -5
good to here about the damp seeds,
I am a very careful person, so
I feel way better about getting mine now,
I also got all the extra seed plates,
and tests on my living room carpet seem just fine...
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Post by littleminnie on Aug 19, 2010 21:27:33 GMT -5
Joseph,
Why would the number of seeds change when they are soaked? Just because they swell?
I have really come to adore soaking almost all seeds before planting. I have sand so it really helps. I am telling you it made a huge difference with sweet corn especially (not that I am planting that again next year).
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Post by canadamike on Aug 20, 2010 1:34:36 GMT -5
The earthway is a great simple tool. Get all the plates you can though...and, especially if you pre-soak, you might have to use a plate that is designed for another veggie, but don't bother. I do like Joseph and use duct tape to block some holes. There is a new Korean seeder around here that can also come in ''multiples'', but it is very expensice.Although incredibly precise, a friend of mine who bought one went back to the old earthway for its simplicity of use, the korean machine is full of gears and almost involve advanced mathematics  plus it is a pain in the butt to adjust... |
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Post by spacecase0 on Aug 20, 2010 2:24:39 GMT -5
I got all the plates they sold,
and after playing with it on my carpet,
I am glad I did get them all, many needed ones are not includes with the base package,
and I mostly ignored what they said they were for,
the instructions had better ideas for what seeds worked with what plates than what was printed on the plate
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Post by littleminnie on Aug 22, 2010 19:36:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about getting the extra plates.
I don't think I need the multiple row seeders yet when I can use a single row a few times in a bed.
What about a flame torch?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 22, 2010 20:34:24 GMT -5
I think that a weeding torch would be useful in a driveway, or in rock gardens, or in rocky soil.
Regards,
Joseph
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Post by DarJones on Aug 22, 2010 22:27:37 GMT -5
One of these days I am going to design a simple vacuum seeder. It should not be too difficult nor too expensive.
DarJones
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plus it is a pain in the butt to adjust...