vegetable seeding machines or "seeders"

[boldpsi]

Howdy from sunny Upstate NY!

i'm gettin' gardening fever again... but i don't want to plant all my corn, beans, &c., bending over to drop each kernel, and then carefully fertilizing, and then convering them up... i wanna do it all at once with a mechanical seeder. i think there must have been hundreds invented and sold over time, but i can't get much else on my Internet searches other than these...

the EarthWay Precision Garden Seeder models:
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/product/earthway-precision-garden-seeder-1001b

the Planet Jr. seeder:
http://www.coleplanter.com/handseeder.htm

and a couple of versions of the Lambert (use the Previous/Next buttons)
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/product/lambert-vegetable-seed-row-planter-garden-seeder

do any of you have experience with these? what about this one or one like it:
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/product/seeder-by-wolf-garten

some of these are reasonably priced, but i assume that means they work "reasonably well" as opposed to "consistently over years", though i should think that these could come in handy for various crops, but not all, at least not the way i garden. but for corn, bush beans, and maybe some other crops, it would be worth it if it works well. any thoughts?
thanks,
dave

UPDATE:
added 14:37 01/14/08:
and this one from Midwest Products:
http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/516562.htm

[smigelski]

I have an earthway, works real well. Now if you plan on planting an acre I would not want to hand plant.

[Virginia Mike]

I use an Earthway too. It saves time and seed. Your soil needs to be fine for best results. The fertilizer hopper is not much good.
I have contimplated mounting it on a Cub cultivator frame but I don't think it would stand the strain. It would have to be spring loaded to follow the ground without damage.
I am using a Cole for large plots, it is heavier duty. The Planet Jr. is nice, but expensive.

[Billy Fussell]

I have an Earthway planter. The ground has to be just right for it to work. Ground too hard, it won't make a furrow. If the ground has just been tilled, it has a tendency to bog down as you push it. My wife wound up having to pull it as I pushed it. It plants well though. The fertilizer hopper isn't much good as Virginia Mike said. It beats the old way we did it. Open a furrow with the edge of a hoe, drop seed by hand, and then cover. When I found my cub with planter and fertilizer distributor, I jumped on it. My wife was all for it too. Now I can do in 2 hours what it took me and my wife 2 days to do. I plant about an acre garden. If you already have a cub, I would seriously look for a planter for it. You won't be disappointed.

Billy

[CapeCodCubs]

I have an Earthway also. I have a New Holland transplanter for planting pepper plants and tomato plants that have been started and are 6'-8' tall. I will be working on getting my Ford corn planter working but that is a project that might sit on the back burner. I have my eye on a Planet Jr. two wheel tractor with a planter attachment...it is $150.00 and has a snow blade and cultivators. Extra tires and engine. That would be a great way to plant your garden also.

[Joe Malinowski]

i too have a Earthway that was my fathers and has to be at least 40 years old whats great is I can get seed plates or anything I need for it. As stated earlier soil prep is important, but once you get the hang of it I thinks it works fine for the price.

[boldpsi]

wow, all great responses

take a gander at this'un:
http://www.mechanicaltransplanter.com/seeder.html
whopper of a pricetag, but i'd be thinking i'd get at least 50 years outta her!
i contacted the company re: less-expensive model, refurbished unit availability, and whether there's a used market... we'll see if they reply ;^)

keep'em coming!
dave

[SONNY]

The last one does look good!---AND would do smaller seeds too---they claim!!---may be spendy, but it looks well made and should last a good while!!

A cub planter wont be cheap,--and they are impossible to find a working unit,-- at least around here! thanks; sonny

[CapeCodCubs]

Those look pretty nice. But you'd need to plant alot and for years to make it pay off. My seeder was around 70 bucks on craigslist. My transplanter cost me $140.00 also found on Craigslist. They pop up every now and then. Here's a link
http://www.transplanter.com/cnvplant.htm
Two people sit on it and take the seedlings and put them on a ferris wheel with rubbber clamps that put the plant in the ground. It's pretty cool. You need a slow tractor or creeper gear.

[smigelski]

wow, all great responses

take a gander at this'un:
http://www.mechanicaltransplanter.com/seeder.html
whopper of a pricetag, but i'd be thinking i'd get at least 50 years outta her!
i contacted the company re: less-expensive model, refurbished unit availability, and whether there's a used market... we'll see if they reply ;^)

keep'em coming!
dave

the Korean farmers in this area use them. I watched a guy plant 7 acres of radishes on my farm with the 1 row push model. took him 2 days but he did it

[SONNY]

That would be a lot-o- radishes for sure,---so how did he harvest them?---they have harvesters for most crops! thanks; sonny

[Boss Hog]

Those look pretty nice. But you'd need to plant alot and for years to make it pay off. My seeder was around 70 bucks on craigslist. My transplanter cost me $140.00 also found on Craigslist. They pop up every now and then. Here's a link
http://www.transplanter.com/cnvplant.htm
Two people sit on it and take the seedlings and put them on a ferris wheel with rubbber clamps that put the plant in the ground. It's pretty cool. You need a slow tractor or creeper gear.

We call em bacca planters around here. I plant Irish tatters with mine saves a lot of time Just drop the eyes down the sword. I took the fingers off one of mine just for tatter planting. VA Mike Says to wrap your seeds like water melon and pumpkins in tissue paper and put in the fingers.
David

[smigelski]

That would be a lot-o- radishes for sure,---so how did he harvest them?---they have harvesters for most crops! thanks; sonny

the same way he planted them, looked like a rice patty in china. A bunch of little Koreans bent over picking radishes.

[CapeCodCubs]

Dave's right, my transplanter was made for tabacky. VA Mike had a great idea for planting larger seeds. I'll have to try that out. Come on winter let's move along!!!

[Virginia Mike]

Mechanical Transplanter makes a potato and bulb chain and cover for the chute. With this attachment you can plant onions or any bulb. I used one for years, then got foolish and sold it. The chain will fit a Holland, and the chute cover may.
You can make one by replacing the plant holders with flat or slightly cupped paddles, and closing the back of the chute with a strip of metal.
I have a Holland transplanter now. I liked my Mechanical Transplanter better, but it may have worked better because it was new.
A creeper gear makes them easier to feed, but my teenage step-son could feed the bulb planter by himself behind my John Deere without a creeper. He is grown and gone. Good help is hard to find.