Quick-Guide to Choosing a Seeder
 ✓ Efficiency  ✓ Precision  ✓ Affordability

Which goals and factors are most important for you?

Cost

• What can your budget accommodate?
• The right seeder can save enormous amounts of time, and precise seed placement saves seed — how soon before you want or need to recoup your investment?

Scale of operation

• How big are you now? And how big do you want to go?
• Commercial: >10 acres
• Farmers' market: <10 acres
• Home garden

Maneuverability/Seeding Location

• Are you seeding out in open field rows, smaller plots, or under cover, in a hoophouse, greenhouse, or other tight spaces?

Specific Crops vs Versatility

• How many different types of crops are you planting?
• How far apart do you need to drop seed, and how widely spaced do you want your rows or beds?
• How big are the seeds, what shape are they, and do they flow easily? Do you want to use a pelleted seed option?

Efficiency

• Are you willing to do some tinkering, to get your equipment set up and calibrated?
• Do you want to be able to modify your set-up to seed a different crop or accommodate a different set of seeding conditions?
• Can you afford to spend time making returns to fill in the bare spots?
• How much time can you allot to thinning overseeded rows?
• How much maintenance and servicing will your equipment require?

Reliability & Repeatability

• A good seeder conserves seed when properly calibrated.
• Repeatability allows you to plan your production needs and yields in advance.

Adaptability

• Do you want to be able to readily scale up or down, swap out crops, fertilize with your equipment, or use your seeder in a variety of situations?

Ground Conditions

• What degree of bed preparation is required?

• Most commonly used, push-type seeder.
• Least expensive; a cost-effective option for home garden or beginning market gardens. Perfect for a beginning gardener, or a grower with a half-acre or larger operation on a shoestring budget.
• Design allows for seeding in a continuous operating motion by opening the furrow, planting and spacing the seed, covering and packing the soil.
• Adjustable 30" row marker can be set to the desired between-row spacing to mark your next row, enabling you to achieve parallel rows.
• One revolution of the EarthWay = 36", so with 1 full rotation of the wheel, you get 3' of direct-seeded row.
• Comes with a set of 6 seed plates suitable for planting over 20 common types of vegetables.
• Adequate performance: the EarthWay plates are set up so they drop seed in clusters. In other words, there may be wasted seed, and follow-up thinning required.
• Works best with larger seeds and a well-filled hopper, not with smaller seeds or an underloaded hopper.
  
  According to Matt Neves, our Greenhouse Maintenance Tech, formerly Tools & Supplies Trial Tech:
  
  “ If someone is seeding longer rows — for example, 100'-foot rows of corn — the EarthWay is a 'pretty-darned-good' tool to do it with. Crops such as peas, corns, beans, these larger-sized seeds fill the hopper up and are appropriate for wider in-row spacing in longer rows. For this purpose, the EarthWay is adequate.
  
  “ In contrast, the EarthWay is less than ideal for seeding small-seeded crops, where you do not want a lot of variation in spacing — for example, brassicas, where you may want to drop a seed every inch rather than one per 16", or if you're seeding a row of mustard greens or finely dropped Amara.

“ So if you can take a more laissez-faire approach to gardening, or you don't need to make the most out of every square inch of your prepared ground, the EarthWay may be just fine. ”


• Hopper is uncovered, exposing seed to the elements.
• Can be easily converted into a fertilizer/side dresser with the EarthWay Fertilizer Attachment.
• Not as rugged as Jang seeders, although its lightweight design makes it usable by nearly everyone.
• According to Paul Gallione, Certified Crop Advisor and now-retired Johnny's Territory Sales Rep, who still has the EarthWay Seeder he bought back in 1991, the Earthway is a “Jack of all trades, master of none.” He used it as his primary seeder for years, but adds, “In terms of the 'ride,' going from an EarthWay to a Jang JP-1 is like trading in a '68 Volkswagon — jiggle, wiggle, and shake! — for a brand-new Cadillac.”

FOUR-ROW PINPOINT SEEDER

I can't wait to take this out for a spin tomorrow—i can't make a straight row to save my life but this little number is going to change all that. #fourrowseeder @johnnys_seeds #elliotcolemandesign #seedtoshelf

A post shared by homesweet homegrown (@homesweethomegrown) on Mar 10, 2016 at 2:56pm PST

Courtesy of Robyn Jasko, HomeSweetHomeGrown & Hive Local Food, Kutztown, PA.
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• Designed for densely seeded crops such as salad/brassica mixes, but can accommodate some other crops, such as spinach and cilantro.
• Must have fine tilth for optimum performance, so increased bed preparation needed; does not perform well with lots of field debris.
• Uncomplicated and easy to maintain, with few moving parts.
• Super light, but sturdy.
• Works great in tight spaces like small greenhouses.
• Drops seed at 1" spacings — not adjustable.
• Hoppers are spaced at distance of 2¼" apart. By filling only alternate hoppers, you can achieve a row spacing of 4½". By filling the outside hoppers only, a row spacing of 6¾" is achieved.
• Relatively easy to adjust and operate but less ergonomic than other designs. Seed depth is controlled by raising or lowering the angle between the handle and the soil, which can require some finesse.
• Must keep eye on the wheel tines to be sure they are spinning and dropping seed and that hoppers are not empty (provided you're paying attention, however, it is very easy to go back over a missed section).
• Small hoppers drop seed most efficiently when they're full, so they need relatively frequent refilling, and it's semi-difficult to retrieve unused seed.
• Pretty economical for the job it does (compared to the Six-Row).
• Compatible with our Four-Row Cultivator.

ONE-ROW PINPOINT SEEDER

The One-Row Pinpoint Seeder has many if not most of the features and limitations offered by its four-row counterpart. We developed the single-row version in response to many requests from growers for an even lighter-weight, highly maneuverable pinpoint seeder that is accurate as well as easy to fill and empty for impromptu as well as planful seeding with a minimum of fuss.

• Performs best in soils with fine tilth.
• Easily maintained, with few moving parts.
• Super light, yet sturdy.
• Can be pushed or pulled, depending upon handle position.
• Easily maneuvered within tight spaces, including tunnels, greenhouses, and raised beds.
• Comes with two shafts, providing 6 different hole sizes and 3 different seed spacings: 1", 1¼", and 2¼".
• Adjustable for seeding rate, seeding, depth, and seeder angle.

We recently redeveloped the Six-Row Seeder based on customer feedback and extensive in-field trialing. We took on the redesign project knowing that we had a good design — for the Six-Row Seeder was one of our best-selling products. Yet there were definitely a few areas for improvement. We're pleased with the results, and were even able to lower the cost.

Upgrades include the following 5 features:

The Six-Row Seeder

Courtesy of Madeline Yoste & Timothy Robb of Compostella Farm, Independence, Louisiana.
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• Powder-coated steel frame.
• Tabs on drive wheel for improved traction.
• Open wheel ends for easily cleaning out the cage.
• Seed funnel for collecting unused seed.
• Adjustable offset handle.

For those who might have one of our First Edition Six-Row Seeders, we took care to ensure that the replacement parts have remained the same. Here are a few fundamentals on the Six-Row Seeder.

• Designed for densely spaced crops (salad/brassica mixes).
• Must have fine tilth for optimum performance; increased bed preparation needed.
• More efficient than the Four-Row Seeder, but also less wieldy.
• Easier to retrieve seed from the hoppers than from those of the Four-Row Seeder.
• More adjustable than Four-Row Seeder.
• Includes front roller, which helps it function in wider range of conditions than the Four-Row Seeder.
• Two passes seed a 30" bed, compared to three passes with the Four-Row Seeder.
• Does not tolerate a lot of field debris.
• Highly reliable, given proper calibration and bed preparation.

Jang TD Series

Great for precision-planting corn, peas, beans, and other large seeds.

• Designed specifically to singulate large seeds, even flat ones, in long rows.
• Functions well even with a small amount of seed in the hopper.
• Large (7.3-quart/7-liter), transparent, lidded hopper makes it easy to monitor and protect your seed, and its quick release, funnel-shaped design facilitates retrieving unused seed and swapping out plates.
• Selection of seed plates available, as well as customizable blanks. Seed plates come in thicknesses of 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm, with various hole diameters. Plain, blank plates or predrilled "pilot" plates can be ordered to customize your own.
• Seeds are dropped at spacings that range from 2⅜" all the way out to 84", which are adjustable by using sprockets to determine exact drop.
• Scalable to be used with multiple hoppers and seed plates, to seed multiple rows at once. You can start with just the Jang TD-1, and eventually upgrade to tractor-mount versions and still use most accessories.
• May be on the heavy side for some people.
• Widely used; reliable and repeatable.
• Could be viewed as costly, but fits an important niche.
• Less versatile than the Jang JP Series, but — after all — it has a different specialization.

A post shared by Empress Green (@empressgreeninc) on Apr 20, 2017 at 3:07pm PDT

Courtesy of Zaro Bates, Farmer-in-Residence at Urby–Staten Island, and Asher Landes, Head of Agriculture at Empress Green, Inc, Staten Island, New York City, New York.
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• Designed for small- to medium-size seeds (some functionality with larger sizes).
• Very versatile, with a multitude of seed rollers and plow-shoe options (double-row double-disc openers), as well as customizable blanks.
• Conserves seed by virtue of the selection of rollers and brush adjustments.
• Can plant at spacings that range from 0.5" to 20", depending on roller and sprocket selection.
• Reliable and repeatable.
  
  What is repeatability? Again, we asked Matt Neves, our former Tools Trial Technician and current Greenhouse Tech.
  
  “ Let's say you use the JP-1 to seed beets, and you know that you've got a roller that works well with beets, and the brushes set at a specific dimension work great every time (whereas with the EarthWay, you may get more spottiness, and more irregularly shaped rows — sometimes requiring two passes to seed to maximal potential yield). Most farmers prefer not to spend time thinning, and consider it wasted time. With the Jang dialed in, you can achieve beet rows with very close to the desired seeding rate. This potentially cuts out hours and hours of thinning later on in the season. You can be confident that you're going to get the desired effect out of the seeder.
  
  “ The entire Jang line is reliable and repeatable — the EarthWay… not so much — you'll still get a great stand of beets, but potentially you're going to have to thin — for home gardeners, this may not be problematic. And depending on soil conditions, this may sometimes be achievable with a Six-Row Seeder, or the Four-Row Pinpoint Seeder.
  
  “ These other designs offer an inexpensive way to complete most jobs at least adequately, for some people —  different designs work for different people and purposes — for example, the home gardener who really doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a seeder and doesn't mind some inefficiency. ”

The One-Hour Farmer Program at Feedback Organic Recovery engages local community members.

Courtesy of Dave Sivyer, Feedback Organic Recovery, Newcastle, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA.

Feedback Organic Recovery collects and converts organic waste from local cafés and restaurants, and uses the nutrient-rich compost on urban farms to grow and supply produce directly back to the restaurants they collect from — a closed loop of urban food production!

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• So, the Jang JP Series could be regarded as expensive — but on the basis of its abilities and performance, the cost may be justifiable for you.
• Widely used. “In my opinion, this is a must-have for farmers with market-size operations.” — Matt Neves
• Scalable: Options include hoppers, rollers, and plow heads, all compatible with multi-row versions. You can start with just the JP-1 and eventually upgrade to JP-3 or JP-6, and still be able to use the parts originally purchased. There is no need to buy an entire new system (for some people at least), as the scale of the operation grows — all the way up to tractor-mount units. Tractor-mount versions (JPH-U) use the same hoppers and rollers.
• The Jang JP Seeder is not as particular about soil conditions as some seeders; able to more precisely handle rougher terrain than other seeders.
• Rugged construction, though it may be on the heavy side for some people.

Growers & Their Jangs — Some Recommendations & Feedback

Having recently expanded our line of Jang Seeders, we wanted to follow up with our customers and find out how well the equipment was working out for them. We checked in with a diversity of growers and gardeners around the country who had recently purchased a Jang Seeder from Johnny's, and asked for feedback about utility, value, and performance.

Kevin Leavitt • Farmer Kev's Organics, West Gardiner, Maine

We met up with Kevin one morning in late April, when the fields were still somewhat cloddy and damp. Kevin had prepped row after row of 100-foot-long raised beds, despite an exceptionally cool, wet spring, and we were eager to see if the fields were dry enough to plant. Kevin loaded three alternating hoppers of his new Jang JP-6W, and as you can see in the video clip below, was able to sow three rows concurrently in just a few minutes. We hope the Jang JP-6W proves invaluable in his rapidly expanding farmshare delivery business here in Central Maine.

Brittany & Kevin Overshiner • Upswing Farm, Hopkinton, Massachusetts

Upswing Farm is a small, diversified vegetable farm on the border of Ashland and Holliston, Massachusetts, run by Brittany and Kevin Overshiner. Brittany shared the following about her Jang Seeders with Ken Fine, her Territory Sales Rep (retired). “Bought the first one in 2012… Worth every penny… With the various rollers and by modifying the gear settings you can use a precise amount of seed… This conserves seed and, more importantly, results in NO THINNING.” Brittany and Kevin use use other methods at Upswing for large-seed crops such as peas and beans.

Brandon Dodge • Rastafarm, Reisterstown, Maryland

Rastafarmi is a small organic farm in Reisterstown (Boring), Maryland run by Brandon and his partner Megan. When his Territory Sales Rep, Paul Gallione (retired), asked Brandon for feedback about his new Jang, Brandon reported that he was very happy. “It took a few weeks to get used to it,” he added, but then it was great. Brandon and Paul reviewed the Johnny's Roller Trial Results / Variety Cross-Reference Charts, a set of spreadsheets that list which Jang Roller works best for direct-sowing over 200 varieties/seed types of crops. Brandon said he thought Johnny's product-support information was excellent, and gave the following recommendation to prospective Jang customers: “Buy it… Learn it… It WILL work!”

Liz Graznak • Happy Hollow Farm, Jamestown, Missouri

Happy Hollow Farm is an organic operation nestled in the foothills of the Missouri River, where Liz Graznak grows produce to supply CSA shares and sell at the Columbia farmer's market. Liz has a background in plant breeding and also does trials with Missouri State University on her farm. Her Territory Sales Rep at the time, Randy Cummings, talked with Liz talked about the Jang Seeder she recently purchased.

“ It takes more time to set up for the seed you want to use, but once it is set up it is easier to use than the EarthWay. It does a good job tamping the seed, much better than the EarthWay. It does a much better job seeding carrots… In the past, I've shied away from doing direct-seeding because the EarthWay isn't that fabulous, but I think I'll be doing more direct-seeding because of the Jang… I plan on picking up more rollers for it in the future. I definitely like it… I heard about the Jang at the MOSES conference years ago from another vendor, but when I was ready I found it was easier to buy it from Johnny's. The Jang Seeder for me is one of those purchases for which I felt I needed to reach a certain point financially, as I had been using the EarthWay up until this time. I bought the EarthWay, then the Six-Row Seeder for all my babyleaf in the high tunnel, and this year decided it was time to buy the Jang.… Four weeks ago was my first big seeding, but we struggled with 11 inches of rain, which washed everything out. Just this last week I was able to get back out to work the ground again, reshaping beds, and used the Jang again to seed. ”

Jeff Scott's High Tunnel, Vino, Alabama

Jeff's perfectly-formed raised beds await seeding with his Jang JP-3 Three-Row Push Seeder.

Jeff Scott • Vino, Alabama

Jeff is a methodical, mechanically-oriented individual who after retiring from the US Army, decided to apply his ingenuity to growing crops. First he built himself a high tunnel with help from a NRSC grant, then installed rain-water catchment as well as an elegant drip irrigation system. Next he designed a dirt sifter to prepare superfine topsoil so he could grow straight carrots. He also devised an attachment for his tractor tiller to spit out 40"-wide, 5"-tall, perfectly flat-surfaced beds in his tunnel. “Design is the biggest part of fun,” according to Jeff. “It's been as much of a science lab as a growing exercise.” He's also “exploring the finer options of composting.” It thus comes as no surprise that when he was ready to buy a seeder, he researched his options carefully. “I watched some YouTube videos, and talked to some of my neighbors. They have the EarthWay Seeder. I listened to what they had to say, then talked to Rod [Heyerdahl],” his regional Territory Sales Representative (now retired). “I elected to get a Jang, and the next question was whether to get the single-, two- or three-row version. I went with the three-row because it was more versatile — more options. I'm all about options, and the more options I've got, the better I like it.”

Alex Nielsen • Ukiah, California

Finally we heard from the West Coast, where commercial grower Alex Nielsen had simply this to say about how his new Jang was working out for him: “Love it!”

Easy-Plant Jab-Type Seeder

Can be used on open ground or to pierce through mulch to precision-plant large-seeded crops.

Every grower has a style, all their own, and seeders therefore come in a range of designs to suit different functions and grower needs. Here are some additional types of seeders to fit various other seeding purposes.

• Ev-n-Spred Seeder/Spreader
  This seeder is designed by the reliable people at EarthWay to perform a function that is almost as old as the practice of agriculture — hand-sowing by scattering seed across a broad area. Lightweight and easy to carry, the Ev-n-Spred is useful for broadcasting cover crops or grass seed, and can also be used to spread fertilizer or other particulate amendments. Spread widths are determined by the particle size and density.
• Easy-Plant Jab-Type Seeder
  This seeder, too, is lightweight and easy to carry and use in an upright position, but in contrast to the Ev-n-Spred, the Easy-Plant Jab-Type Seeder is specifically designed for pinpoint-planting of large-seeded crops such as sunflowers, corn, beans, pumpkins, and squash. It can drill through mulch and is very handy for filling in bare spots.

• SEEDERS FOR INDOOR SEED-STARTING
  
  For seeds that are not direct-sown but started instead as transplants, there are a variety of seeder designs for sowing trays and other containers. For those in search of seeders for hand sowing indoors, here are some of the best.
  
  
  • Hand Seed Sower
  • Vibro Hand Seeder
  • Mini-Wand Seeder
  • Precision Vacuum Seeder
  • Manual Cell Tray Seeder

The right seeder allows a grower to save seed, time, and labor. Depending on your unique situation, choosing the right one can be a straightforward or complex exercise, involving an expenditure of just a few dollars to much, much more.

If you need more information after reviewing this guide, check the many additional resources in our Direct-Seeding Library! Jot down questions or concerns you may have, and if you have the opportunity, talk to other growers in your area or get in touch with your local Cooperative Extension Agent. By this point you will have likely made a decision — but if you're still not certain which configuration is your best option, we are only a phone call away!