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Seeding 1000 Suns
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Posted by gardenlover z5/6 OH (My Page) on Sun, May 14, 06 at 10:49
This is only my 2nd year of growing flowers for cuts.
I seeded 1000 suns last week by hand (as I always do) and the next day with my aching back and knees, I thought there has to be a better way.
I have an Earthway Seeder, but I just use it to mark the rows, then go back through on my knees planting the seeds. I haven't even tried to see if the sunflower seeds would fit through the seed plates correctly. I just don't trust that it will send a seed out every 9", and put it at the correct depth. (I know the depth is adjustable on the seeder, but uneven ground makes it variable).
What do you all use?
Should I just use the seeder for its full intended purpose and quit worrying so much? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| Some growers have had success using the popcorn plate on the Earthway seeder for sunflower seeds. I don't think it comes with the seeder. I think it's one of the extra plates you can order. You'll need to tinker with the calibration though. Obviously, as you can tell, we haven't used it for sunflowers. We have an Earthway; and, use it for zinnias. We've never been completely happy with the results of planting sunflower seeds with it. We have, however, used an old corn planter with good results. Believe me when I say that I understand the aching back. Trish |
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| I started planting my sunflowers with the Earthway this year in order to save time. For most sunflowers the beet plate works. You just have to make sure that the seeds aren't too small to where you get 2 seeds coming out at once. I put scotch tape over the holes that I don't want the seeds coming out and if the sunflowers seeds are on the small side, I'll halfway tape the hole so it is smaller. So far I have been fairly pleased with the method. I am very happy with the time it has saved and the bending over a stringline. I doesn't seed perfect and uniform, but I guess you could fill in the gaps a few weeks after the first germinate. Then you would have a little stagger in your crop which is not a bad thing. Josh |
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| but I guess you could fill in the gaps a few weeks after the first germinate. Then you would have a little stagger in your crop which is not a bad thing. Ummm. Not exactly our idea of staggering crop. And if you need a certain number of sunflower stems per week consistently (which we do), it's probably not the way to go. So, that would be a very bad idea -- for us. Succession planting in another section equals better results. But, look what was featured in this month's GFM. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Stand 'N Plant Seeder
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| Thanks so much Flowerfarmer and Newaukumvalley for your responses. Thanks for the link Flowerfarmer, that's the directions my thoughts were heading. I was pondering something similar to the Stand N Plant that Johnny's carries. I suppose with those type of seeders you would still need to cover the seed and tamp it lightly? You mentioned an old corn planter, do you mean an implement pulled behind your tractor? |
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| I thought about something like this as well- could use a piece of PVC pipe, jab it in the ground and drop in a seed. Lift and drag to cover the seed. |
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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I was reading this old thread and wondered the same thing as garden lover
Flower Farmer said...used an old corn planter with good results
Garden lover said..You mentioned an old corn planter, do you mean an implement pulled behind your tractor?
Flower farmer???? |
RE: Seeding 1000 Suns
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| When I was a child, my mother and grandmother would use an old broomstick or hoe handle for planting corn, beans, peas, anything that had a seed that is sizeable. They just dropped the seed on top of the ground, pushed it into the soil with the end of the broomstick, filled the hole with a push of the tip of a shoe and move right on. The speed with which they could do this was amazing. I hadn't thought of that for a very long time - my grandmother has been gone since 1980 and my mother hasn't gardened for probably 10 years or more. |
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