A homemade manual seeder consists of the following main parts:
Seed box 4;
- sowing roller 2;
- two bearings 5;
- two running wheels 1;
- two brackets for fastening the opener 11;
- handles 7 with bracket 8.
The seed box is made from wooden planks 15 mm thick. From below it is closed with 2 steel overhead bottoms 14 mm thick. The longitudinal and transverse walls are connected to each other with spikes, steel angles and self-tapping screws.
At the bottom of the transverse walls of the box, 6 wooden pads with a thickness of 15 mm are attached with nails or screws. Semicircular cutouts are made in the walls and linings for installing the sowing roller. Steel plate brackets for fastening the opener with round holes for installing the seeding roller. In the inclined bottoms, rubber plates 9 are installed on bolts with nuts MB for elastic coupling of the bottoms with the sowing roller and dropping protruding seeds from the cells.
On the outer sides of the transverse walls of the seed box, steel bearings of the sowing roller, made of sheet steel 4 mm thick, are reinforced with screws.
Fig.1. Manual seeder (general form and its diagram):
1 - wheel; 2 - sowing roller; 3 - lock bolt; 4 - seed box; 5 - bearing; 6 - wooden overlay; 7 - handle; 8 - handle bracket; 9 - rubber plates; 10 - opener bracket; 11 - opener; 12 - bolts for fastening the coulter; 13 - walls of the family box; 14 - inclined bottom; 15 - steel square.<
The seeding roller with a diameter of 40 mm is made of steel. On it, 18 large, 22 medium and 30 small cells are drilled in three rows around the circumference - according to the size of the seeds being sown. Large cells are used for sowing dill and spinach; medium - for turnip seeds, onions, lettuce; small - for cabbage and similar sized seeds.
Before sowing, a row of cells whose dimensions correspond to the size of the seeds being sown are installed opposite the outlet of the coulter. The position of the sowing roller is fixed by stoppers 3 located on the hubs of the road wheels.
When the roller rotates, the seeds fill the cells and are thrown into the opener.
The seeder wheels with a diameter of 200 mm have large strip steel rims with a cross-section of 40 x 3 mm, spokes with a diameter of 8 mm and hubs with an outer diameter of 60 mm. The holes in the hubs correspond to the diameter of the seeding roller. The spokes are attached to the hub with a thread and connected to the rim with a rivet. Wheels - from baby strollers or just homemade ones. Ground hooks (made of angle steel) on the wheel rims provide better traction with the soil.
The opener is made of sheet steel 1.5 mm thick and is attached to the brackets with two bolts and nuts 12. Several holes are made on the brackets. By re-fixing the opener in the holes, you can adjust the desired seeding depth. ; To cover the seeds with soil, a harrow is installed in the form of a flexible cable with a steel ring. ; A bracket with a tubular handle is attached to the back wall of the family box.
Every summer resident and gardener knows how important it is to plant vegetables correctly. This process is labor-intensive, quite expensive in both time and money. After all, it is necessary not only to evenly distribute the planting seeds in the furrows, but also to further thin out the seedlings manually, forming crops. A special seeder will help to significantly simplify the work, which, even in manual mode, will be a real help in planting. The article will discuss the nuances of the operation of planting structures, the principle of manual assembly of the simplest mechanisms, the features of operation and the creation of manual machines for more accurate seeding.
Tool requirements
A completely working structure is made from available materials: various recyclable materials, tin cans, plastic bottles. It is advisable to use more complex structures made of metal sheets only for industrial-scale cultivation of vegetable crops.
A good example of the simplest design for planting is a carrot seeder.
Certain aspects apply to self-made mechanisms for planting vegetables.:
- The placement of seed into the soil must be in a certain quantity (per 1 linear meter) and to the required depth.
- Seeds should be distributed evenly, without gaps and without damage.
- The mechanism ensures straightness of planting rows and row spacing.
- After each laying, the grooves should be filled with loose soil.
Sowing small seeds is best done using mini-seeders. Such devices are suitable for growing carrots, onion sets, salad greens, that is, those crops that have rather small planting material.
Features of application
The basic principle of operation of the simplest sowing mechanism is to limit the spilling of seeds out. An open box with a double good bottom is used for this procedure. A movable plate is inserted into the formed space.
Grains or seeds are poured into the bottom of the box (upper) with holes slightly larger than the size of the planting material; in the lower tier of the mechanism there are larger holes, they coincide with the top. When pushing in the middle intermediate plate, the holes in the bottoms do not communicate, which means the grains do not spill out. If the valve is moved, the sower will start working again. To avoid thickening of the crops, you should not pour a large number of seeds into the structure at once, rolling them over the mechanism.
Many vegetable growers equip the movable (middle) plate with a spring, which facilitates the operational process.
Using the landing mechanism is very simple. A furrow is marked in the garden bed. They place a homemade seeder on it and move the device forward. The tank begins to rotate - grain or seeds pour out evenly. Then, using an improvised hoe, the plantings are covered with loose soil.
The seeds are fixed in the seeder using a transparent plastic tank. The entire structure can be easily converted for any vegetable crop; for example, in a radish seeder, the holes in the tank need to be made smaller than in a mechanism for planting corn. It is very easy to make improvised parts using simple materials. For economical and high-quality planting of various vegetable crops, it is necessary to make about 3-4 tanks for the seeder with holes of different sizes.
DIY making
By using a mechanism for planting small seeds, sowing can be accelerated 10 times. As an example of a simple hand-held device, consider a carrot seeder.
To make it you will need the following materials::
- Plastic or metal shaft. You can use a part from a thick-walled pipe.
- A wheel made from a tin can (a small bicycle wheel will do).
- A bunker made from a plastic bottle, container, or shampoo container.
- Retaining rings designed for the wheel.
- Foam rubber.
- Transport bracket (1 piece).
- Wooden handle.
- Screw “M 4” (from 4 to 8 pcs.).
- Restrictive rings/clamps (from 2 to 4 pcs.).
- Nut “M 4” (from 4 to 8 pcs.).
For high-quality assembly you will need tools: a screwdriver, drills with different diameters, scissors, a drill, a knife.
The process of manufacturing a simple manual seeder takes place in several stages:
Simple design will significantly reduce labor costs. This is how you make a manual seeder with your own hands. The main disadvantage of this mechanism is the limited sowing (only in 1 row) and the sowing of only one vegetable crop due to the different size of the seeds. The problem can be solved by using several replacement cans with different holes.
Much more complicated is a self-made sowing device, with which you can work with seeds of different crops. The main working mechanism in the universal design is the sowing shaft, which is an aluminum tube with a diameter of 30 mm. Holes are drilled in three rows of different sizes. Each line is made for one crop.
Precision seeding mechanism
An important task of using seeding structures is to ensure uniform planting. To plant seeds in the ground at a strictly defined distance, manual precision seeding drills are used; these mechanisms are easy to make with your own hands, just like the simplest devices described above.
Design
The device consists of one or more containers with seeds, a frame on wheels, and a control handle. To independently manufacture such a unit, you will need a turning tool or a drill to drill metal sheets, the thickness of which is approximately 1 or 2 mm, and the diameter is about 5-8 mm.
When planning a connection between a seeder and a walk-behind tractor, it is better to use rigid bolts that are more vibration-resistant instead of rivets. The front wheels are designed to form furrows in the beds, where the seeds fall from the hopper. Using the rear wheels, the resulting holes are filled with loose soil.
The basis of the precision seeding design consists of a rectangular metal frame. Containers are attached along the edges into which seeds are loaded. It is recommended to buy the blocks necessary for turning the shaft separately, since it is very difficult to make them yourself without special skills and tools. For example, containers that are used in conventional manual seeders or in conjunction with walk-behind tractors are perfect.
The precision seed drill is driven by reversible wheels, which also adjust the height of the head, designed to get the seeds into the ground. Each container must be secured separately. The wheels are connected on a springy and rigid base.
The sowing unit is a container in which the seeds are placed. When the seeder is dragged along the ground, a mechanical wheel with blades, also located in the container, is activated. At the end of the container there is a narrow slot where only one unit of planting material can be placed, so seeding is uniform and very economical. The size of the hole can be changed to accommodate seeds of different sizes.
Operating principle
When working with a manual precision seeder, first do the assembly, move the handle to the working position, and put the rear wheel on the axle. The marker can be adjusted if necessary. Depending on the crop being sown, a disc of a certain size is installed in the hopper. The depth of the chalk is adjusted to the size of the seeds.
This device forms the required depth of the holes. When the seeder is put into action, the front wheel of the structure begins to spin; with the help of a belt drive, the rotational movement is transmitted to the disk, which captures the seeds from the hopper.
Using a marker, smooth planting rows are formed. It is often recommended to carry out the first sowing along a certain contour for a more uniform distribution.
DIY making
The bunker container must be made of plastic. This makes it easier to visually control the number of seeds poured. Take the following components:
- A bolt that will be used as an axis on which the seed-filled container will rotate.
- A plastic pipe equal in length to the dimensions (depth) of the bunker. Steel pipe of the same length.
- Aluminum wire.
- Washers for fixing the pipe.
Assembly is a step-by-step process. Let's describe the algorithm:
- A through hole must be drilled in the center of the selected plastic jar. The cover is removed and an additional hole in the form of a rectangle (through) is made in the side wall. The hopper will be filled with seeds through it.
- We install a plastic pipe in the center of the jar to prevent the seed from spilling out. A steel pipe is installed into it, a bolt and nut are screwed in. The rotation mechanism is ready.
- On the side of the hopper, points are marked for holes at a distance of 30 mm. They are then pierced with a hot nail. The seeds should fit into the holes.
- They make a handle. A through hole is drilled in the wooden handle at the end. Using a bolt and nut, attach the handle to the seeder.
- To automate the process, a device is made from an iron sheet to fill planting holes with seeds.
- The workpiece is attached to the handle above the seed hopper.
The device is ready. Before starting sowing work, it is recommended to prepare the site and loosen the hardened soil.
Range of modern seeders
If making a planting unit yourself causes difficulties, it is recommended to immediately purchase ready-made structures. The assortment on the market is quite large. The American model of precision seeding “1001 - B” is equipped with 6 replaceable discs. With such a seeder you can plant 28 types of vegetable crops. Using the adjusting screw, you can change the planting depth.
Newtechagro seeders are single-row types. Designed for sowing beets, carrots, onions, cabbage. But such designs are expensive.
But there are also cheaper analogues - precision seeders “SOR - 1/1”. They are also single-row, can be equipped with a bush or brush sowing unit, the row marker is 0.5 m. This is quite enough for an average garden.
Using a manual seeder can significantly reduce labor costs, increases the speed of the planting process, simplifies the technology, significantly improves the quality of crops, and hence excellent harvests in the future.
Probably, any gardener sooner or later thinks about how to make his work easier on his plot. Various little things, tedious, repetitive work take a lot of time and effort. One of these types of work includes planting crops that have very small seeds.
It is no secret that radishes, carrots, etc. must be planted at some distance from each other in order to reap a decent harvest in the fall. And because of the small seeds of these crops, it is necessary to thicken the sowing, and after germination, thin it out, that is, spend more seeds in the spring only to then simply tear out up to 80% of the future harvest.
Methods for uniform sowing of seeds
Summer residents go to great lengths to at least slightly reduce seed consumption and ensure more or less uniform sowing of crops. Let's look at some of them.
- Mixing seeds with sand. This method assumes that “diluting” the seeds with clean river sand will ensure less consumption. The method does not always pay off, since it is necessary to ensure that the seeds are mixed evenly, otherwise, the same thickened plantings with obvious “bald spots” where only clean sand has got into the ground will be in the garden.
- Gluing seeds onto thin strips of toilet paper. This method involves quite painstaking work, which also cannot always be justified. If you are 100% sure that the germination rate of your seeds is high enough, then you can safely use it. And if not? All your work will go down the drain.
- Use of manual seed drills. Probably the most convenient method of planting, which does not require any preparation in advance and significantly saves both seeds and the cost of time resources. The only problem is that commercially available seeders are not very effective - they are usually primitive cones with latches through which the seeds fall unevenly.
It is much easier to spend some time in the winter and make a manual seeder with your own hands.
Types of seeders
All manual seeders are divided into several types:
- garden;
- fertilizer;
- grain-cereals.
Garden (vegetable manual seeders) are designed for sowing crops in personal plots.
Fertilizers - used for spreading mineral fertilizers and lime.
Grain-cereals - intended mainly for planting grain on large agricultural fields.
The seeder can also be single-row or multi-row. From the name it is clear that such seeders, when sowing, “scatter” the seeds in one or several rows at the same time.
Purpose of a manual seeder
The basic requirements for any seeder, whether store-bought or home-made:
- uniform distribution of seeds along the entire length of the row;
- reduction of seed consumption;
- sowing seeds to a given depth;
- gentle planting without damaging the seed.
Below we will look at examples of such seeders that you can make yourself.
Universal hand seeder
It is a box with a movable insert into which seeds are poured. Depending on the area of the proposed planting and the number of seeds required, it can be a matchbox, a school pencil case, a box for some kind of toy, etc. At the bottom of this box, a hole of the required diameter is drilled or pierced (approximately the size of the seed) .
When planting, you just need to tilt the hand seeder in different directions so that the seeds fall into the hole. This is, so to speak, the most primitive example of a manual seeder.
It can be slightly improved by placing a spring or elastic band between the walls of the movable insert and the main container and drilling two holes in the top and bottom of the container. The upper hole in this case should be slightly larger, and the lower one should coincide with the diameter of the seed. In this case, the holes in their normal position should not coincide with each other. In this case, you can pour any number of seeds into the upper container: by pressing on it and aligning the holes, you will move a small amount to the lower compartment for planting. The entire sowing procedure will consist of simple actions: tilt - press - move - tilt - press.
For such a manual precision seeder, you can not only adapt some improvised means, but also make it out of plexiglass, polystyrene, even plywood (the plywood in this case needs to be thoroughly “cleaned” so that the seeds do not cling to uneven edges and fall out without problems). But it’s better if the top is transparent in order to monitor the number of seeds.
Such a manual seeder can be made not just one, but several with different hole sizes for different crops.
Manual carrot seeder
Another example of a manual seeder for small seeds, such as carrots. To make it you will need:
- A piece of electrical box.
- Micromotor with eccentric.
- Battery.
- Button.
Install the motor, battery and button in series on the box, connecting them to each other. It works quite simply. By pressing the button, we activate the motor, which runs on a regular battery. The motor turns the eccentric, which scatters small seeds over the surface of the soil with air currents. With a little practice, you can achieve good seeding uniformity from this manual seeder.
Manual seeder for large quantities of seeds
It is perfect for sowing lawn grass, although if you make it small, it will also serve as a manual precision seeder for seeding any crops. To make it you will need:
- seed box;
- shaft with recesses for seeds;
- wheels.
The principle of operation of such a seeder is that when the shaft rotates with wheels, a seed falls from the box into a recess on it and as they rotate, they alternately pass under the box and fall into the ground. The distance between landings will be determined by the distance between the notches on the shaft.
Such a seeder can be made from sheet iron by soldering the necessary parts together. The distance between the box and the sleeve should be minimal, which will prevent a large number of seeds from falling out. It is enough to make recesses for small seeds of 0.4 mm, for larger ones - 0.6 mm.
It should be said that making such a manual seeder with your own hands is not entirely easy; you need to have not only the materials, but also certain knowledge. To achieve the greatest efficiency, you can take an industrially produced seeder as a basis and use its design to make an independent version.
Manual beet seeder
Let's look at another way to make a manual seeder for larger seeds, such as beets.
Making such an “assistant” will require a minimum of knowledge from you. So, we need:
- a plastic transparent jar, for example, from canned fish;
- a bolt that will serve as a shaft and rotate the container with seeds (plastic jar);
- a plastic tube, the length corresponding to the depth of the jar;
- the metal tube is slightly narrower than the diameter of the plastic tube;
- washers to secure the container;
- a metal plate for making a door that will cover the hole through which the seeds are poured (a tin from a tin can will do);
- aluminum wire;
- cutting of the required length.
Manufacturing
- Drill a hole right through the middle of the plastic jar, and make another one on the side to fill in rectangular or triangular-shaped seeds.
- Make a lid from a tin that will cover the second hole. Make sure that it fits tightly to the jar and that the seeds do not spill out through it. It is best to secure it at the bottom and leave the top part movable. To add the seeds, you only need to slide this lid.
- Insert the metal tube into the plastic one and place it in the center of the jar, making a kind of shaft on which the jar with seeds will rotate.
- Secure these tubes with a bolt, placing washers on both sides so that the container rotates freely.
- Using a hot nail, we make holes of the required diameter at the required distance along the side of the can. It is clear that these sizes will depend on what crops you will sow with its help.
- The seeder is ready, all that remains is to screw it to the wooden handle. For greater efficiency and automation, it can be placed on the front of the chopper. In this case, after sowing, you will immediately cover the seeds with soil using a hoe.
Advantages and disadvantages of homemade manual seeders
It is clear that the main advantage can be considered that a simple seeder can be made very easily from scrap materials with minimal monetary costs, and sometimes without them at all.
But simple manual seeders are designed for sowing only one type of crop, or more precisely for one size of seeds. Making a universal hand seeder that fits all sizes is quite difficult and requires certain knowledge and skills in working with metal or plastic.
Store-bought seeders are basically all the same type; they differ only in the method of feeding seeds; the hole sizes are almost the same. You can independently make devices with different diameters, suitable for all types of garden crops, and almost completely automate the sowing process.
Manual single-row precision seeders can be divided into two types: some seeders are used for manual sowing of vegetable crops, while others are designed for sowing lawn grass.
Nowadays there are a lot of manual seeders on sale from all over the world. There are many models - there are Gardena and Al-ko from Germany, there is EarthWay from the States, etc. The main purpose of these units is to distribute the seeds as evenly as possible over the area, which is why they are called seeders-spreaders.
Technical characteristics of manual precision seeder
Most of these seeders are two-wheeled, but there are models without wheels at all (for example, the 9-liter Solo 421 spreader, produced in Germany). In addition to lawn grass seeds, this device can be used to evenly distribute fine gravel, for example, on icy paths in winter. Sand and dry mineral fertilizers can also be distributed using these devices. Such a device costs approximately 20-25 dollars.
But it’s not easy to find them on the Russian market, because they are produced by single companies, and are supplied through dealers.
But if you try, you can find it. Most often, seeders are found at special farm exhibitions. The most reliable and inexpensive are Ukrainian-made “Dachnitsa”, “Zorka”, Chinese SM and others. The above mentioned manual seeders are a small seed hopper on two wheels. In one approach you can sow from 1 to 5 rows.
The seeder consists of four (maybe more) sowing units with seeder hoppers, which are mounted on the main shaft. The picture on the right shows a manual precision seeding vegetable seeder with six hoppers. The seeding bushings of seeders have a similar design and purpose. Depending on the model, the number of bins will vary. If your garden is small, then you should not buy a seeder with 5 or more compartments. Each sowing device has one sowing sleeve, which is used for sowing seeds of carrots, radishes, and parsley. Such a device is rigidly fixed on a transverse rod with an interval along the axes of approximately 80 millimeters.
Operating principle of a manual seeder
The principle of operation of such a device is very simple: you fill the bookers with different seeds and go for a walk along the paths on which the seeds should be planted. Thus, you walk, and behind you there is a trail of seeds. In the same way, you can cover the area with sand or other material. There are different seeders with different controls. But the majority of manual seeders work this way.
Preparing for sowing
First you need to deal with the soil: clean it for future seeds, make it loose. It would be ideal if you water the soil. It is recommended to prepare buckets of soil in advance, because after distributing the seeds, they will need to be covered with a layer of soil. If you own an expensive seeder, then it will definitely have devices that create furrows in the ground where the seeds are then placed.
Sowing with a hand seeder
If you decide to purchase such an assistant, the sowing speed will increase 10 times. After all, you don’t have to climb around the garden and plant every seed. Therefore, a manual seeder is an excellent device that greatly simplifies and speeds up the process. Don’t forget that the soil needs to be leveled and prepared before sowing.
Each of us knows how important it is to sow the seeds of certain vegetable crops on time and correctly to obtain a good harvest in the future. In theory, everything is easy, simple and clear, but in practice, there is often simply not enough time to sow large areas in a limited time. In addition, when sowing, you should be careful with the seeds themselves, especially if they are purchased with just enough to spare. In order to solve these problems as efficiently as possible, special seeders were created, which can be purchased at any agricultural equipment store. But such a device can not only be bought, but also created with your own hands from scrap material, which will be discussed in this article.
Requirements for DIY manual seeders
A hand-made homemade seeder for sowing seeds of various vegetables and flowers must meet the following requirements:
- The seeder must sow seeds accurately and evenly in rows and beds.
- Sowing seeds must be carried out at a certain, calculated soil depth.
- The seeder must strictly maintain the straightness of all rows and the specified row spacing.
The designs of hand-made homemade seeders are quite simple, although they may differ in some details and additions. Do-it-yourself manual seeders are made from the following parts:
- seed box;
- seeding roller;
- two bearings;
- two running wheels;
- two brackets for attaching the opener;
- handle with bracket.
Do-it-yourself manual precision seeders
Manual precision seeders made by hand, due to their high accuracy, can be used in greenhouses / greenhouses / nurseries / flower beds, as well as in individual vegetable gardens. Compared to conventional manual sowing, labor productivity using a homemade seeder increases by about 10-15 times.
Of course, there is nothing easier than purchasing a manual seeder in a specialized store, but it is much more economical to make such a device yourself, because doing it is not so difficult, especially for those who have basic skills in working with metal.
