wish i could help you but i have the same problem with mine. look for a thread where this was discussed because i think someone had a cure for it.

SAme here. I have 4 of them. I put 3 together as a gang planter. I've bought new ones with the same problem right out of the box, old ones same thing. I've got new plates, no luck. I've tried the talcum powder and everything I could think of. The only thing that I've done is to put little 'bonnets' over the top of the seed containers to hold the 'popping' seeds, but that doesn't help with the locking up.

I've went back to hand seeding any larger seeds, and have almost given up with the little bitty seeds.

Don't over-fill the seed hopper. It has a full line and if I go over that it starts popping seeds. Otherwise it works quit well.

I have given up on my earthway, at this time, due to the popping seeds. I have kept the seeds well below the full line, and they still pop. I have went back to hand seeding what seeds I plant. I just don't plant as many direct seeded items.

I believe one of the solutions is to put something like Lemon Pledge on the back of the seed plate and on the wall of the hopper that touches the seed plate. I have not done this with ours but it makes the surface slick enough so that seeds don't get caught and crushed.

Now I have to find my Pledge, I'll have to try that. If it works, I may carry a can to the garden with me.

As i remember you apply it once every year or so (unless you wash the seeder)

thanks for all of your knowledge, tomorrow before the rains come in, I'll have to try it.

I just got my earthway last month, have the same problem with any of the smaller seed, plus my seedbed wasn't as clean as needed.

Here is a fix I found while searching around on the problem, haven't personally had the time to do it to mine but it is on my master to-do list for one evening

Here is a link that might be useful: Earthway Seeder Fix