Pros and cons of manual planters

DALEVILLE, Ind. — Farmers discussed the pros and cons of manual planters during a Purdue Extension conference call July 9.

“When you acquire new tools, they aren’t going to work perfectly out of the gate,” said Michael O’Donnell, farmer at Pinehurst Farm.

“You have to be willing to do some trial and error to see what works for your farm, style of management and skill level. There may be some nuances based on your farm situation.”

O’Donnell partnered with small-scale farmers Dan Perkins and Rich Kremer to talk about the pros and cons of several tools.

Hoss Seeder

Pros:

• Affordable
• Good seed singulation
• Efficiently plants small and large seeds
• Requires less bed preparation
• Flexible row spacing

Cons:

• Requires the purchase of seed plates
• Seed must be calibrated to seed plate for best results
• Unable to handle raw lettuce or carrot seed

Learn more: www.hosstools.com.

Pinpoint Seeder

Pros:

• Affordable
• Higher seeding density
• Efficiently plants small seeds
• No additional seed plates or rollers to purchase
• Seeds raw lettuce and beet seeds

Cons:

• Requires finely worked soil
• Requires the purchase of additional equipment
• Additional steps needed before and after seeding
• Limited row spacing options

Learn more: www.johnnyseeds.com.

Earthway Seeder

Pros:

• Affordable
• Handles irregularly shaped seeds
• Lightweight
• Multiple seeders are easily joined to plant multiple rows

Cons:

• Limited ability to singulate small seeds
• Requires finely worked soil for best results

Learn more: www.johnnyseeds.com.

Jang Seeder

Pros:

• High precision
• Able to singulate seeds well
• Versatile — you can push it, join it to another seeder, or mount it to a tractor

Cons:

• Requires some tinkering to get settings on point
• Seed roller options can be pricey

Learn more: www.johnnyseeds.com.