Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: BSRobin on December 06, 2016, 01:40
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Hi everyone 😀
Is there any experiences with using push seed walk along precision seed devices, such as the earthway or jang... I have looked at adverts and YouTube videos for these devices, and am tempted... but they are so expensive. Do they really work all the time? Is there a cost benefit to precision sowing you have worked out perhaps? By the way I find sowing long rows of spinach for example come out wonky, (pet hate,) so need some method of accurate spacing in the straightest of lines... A string and pegs is fine for some short rows, however I will sow lots of my favorites vegetables come next season and want the best I can get, and the longest run I can manage. My beds are going to be 30 feet long i hope.
Any tips, hints and experience would be very welcome. Cheers. PS I know it's stupid O'clock in the morning! 😀
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No matter how accurately you sow the seeds, they will not come up straight, the plant has to fight its way round very small pieces of earth, (unless you plant in dry dust, ) as they get bigger you will not see the "out of true" ones. It's called nature.
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ps. even the machine tillers will not get them that accurate, they really only work in spacing. And even that is hit and miss sometimes.
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Have you looked at the wolf garten seed sower at under £20?
You may find a seed sower at a country auction. The old models use a brush with an adjustable gap. Best for bigger seeds or when you are planning to thin the plants.
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if your beds are 5 feet wide (best width as you can reach centre from both sides weeding picking etc) thats 4 rows of 30 plants, 120 total. I find block planting much better and neater as 32 plants 1 long row would instead = 8x5 foot rows, I also use a 5 foot length of timber marked at 6 inch intervals
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Thanks to all who've replied to my posting. The block planting ideas are good, as is the wolf garten seeder... I've a bad back so once down on my knees I'm staying there until I'm finished planting... Finding anything to trial for spacing out seeds, thoigh perhaps at a show stand is a must... £20.00 is not much but I want to be sure it's not a decoration on a shelf in the shed afterwards!
Great to have some thoughtful responses...thanks once again. Robin
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block planting is the way if you ask me. it also helps with the crops suppressing weeds themselves, and the crops either side don't tend to swamp one another if they grow at slightly different rates.
as much as nice mm perfect rows look good, it doesn't really make any difference to the end result.
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Tried row planting and block planting. Row planting mistakes are very obvious. Block planting looks good even if they are out of kilter and you do not have to move to do it. My beds are 1 metre wide so that I can kneel in one place and plant a block of seeds easily. Get a kneeler so that you can get up again easier. Much cheaper than a gadget that you use once a year.
I am now trialing raised beds so I will sit on the wooden edges to plant, weed and sow.
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I put a scaffold board down & use the edge of that as my guide, it works for seeds & plants alike, its 9" wide so I flip it over as many times as I need for row spacing. My beds are 5' wide by 30'+ I do short rows across for most things as it's easier to net, harvest & clear one crop at a time apart from parsnips & carrots, I tend to get better success with them in longer rows for some reason, plus it makes more economical use of my enviromesh. I'm currently the proud owner of 4 12' rows of lovely parsnips from last years seeds, they all seemed to germinate 😊