Garden Seeding

FarmerJamie

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So with spring on the horizon , So how do you seed your Gardens ??
Do you use a Dibbler and String
Hand Seeder
Tractor
And how to you make your rows ? String or something else.
My hoe handle has 12/18/24 inch marks. I have a basket with row end markers (10 inch 1x2 wood from something I don't remember) with an angle cut on one end. Two pieces of rebar with an ample amount of baling twine wrapped on one.

I measure the width for the next row, use my hoe to follow the twine, mark the row with my wood end markers and move to the next.

Hand seed everything that isn't a started seedling
 
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tortoise

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I have a seeder machine - hate it. It crushes too much seed.

My most reliable method is starting seed indoors and transplanting. I'm terrible at direct sow - it makes me dizzy and miserable. Bigger seeds are less-bad.

I hand sow peas. We have a fence trellis, so I poke in one pea at each wire, about every 4 inches. I plan to pass this task to DS6 this year. He loves peas.
 

R2elk

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Rows are made with a hoe. Hand seeding the direct seed stuff. Spacing on everything is done by the eyeball method.

Direct seed planting won't happen here until May 1st. Mid March is when tomatoes get started inside. Mid May is when pumpkins, melons, cucumbers get started inside.
 

FarmerJamie

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I usually do my beans (all varieties) in double rows. Not sure where I picked up that habit.

I used to use heavy building/construction plastic for my seedlings. Since I reused every year, the holes for tomatoes were fixed.
 

flowerbug

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So with spring on the horizon , So how do you seed your Gardens ??
Do you use a Dibbler and String
Hand Seeder
Tractor
And how to you make your rows ? String or something else.

i keep it simple, i have a pointed hoe which i just drag in about the right direction to put down the row/drill and then i drop the seeds back in and then use the same hoe to cover over the seeds and tamp the soil down (for good soil/seed contact).

soil prep for mostly clay can be a bit of a challenge if it is too wet out, but most the time it gets done eventually. i have a four prong rake for breaking up some clods but i don't normally deep till or dig an entire garden. i might break the soil down a ways with a straight bladed shovel if it seems too compacted but otherwise i try not to really disturb things too much. for weeding the stirrup hoe (for stand up quick large scale weeding), and my wide bladed butter/steak knife and a trowel are used for closer weeding get me through most of the season. when a garden gets too weedy i'll dig holes and scrape the surface into the hole and bury it. seems to be working (for about half an acre of gardens with half of that being perennial beds or decorations and the rest of it being vegetable gardens).

i do have a long dowel i can use as a dibble and i also used to have some PVC pipe i could drop seeds down to get them into the rows in the right location, but i found out that it was much quicker if i just bent over a little and dropped them in as i was going down the rows.
 
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