Simply put, the Jang seeder is our favorite seeder to use. The Jang seeder is one of the best tools to have on a small-scale organic farm. This seeder has a lot of benefits: it doesn’t need perfect soil conditions in order to work well; it easily accommodates a lot of seed (thus reducing the time needed for planting) and overall, it’s reliable, easy to use and very precise. It really is the best hand-push seeder out there.

Now that you know why we love it, this post will provide guidance on how to use this tool in a way that will optimize your efficiency and avoid unnecessary effort. Read on!

How to Use a Jang Seeder

To maximize the use of your Jang seeder, remember the following sequence for how to use it.  With these steps, you will ensure good time management and minimize time loss. It is a basic routine that you will need to reinforce at your farm – everyone using this tool should use it the same way in order to decrease the risk of error (which can be very costly as a faulty seeding = a lost bed of produce!!).

Follow this order when seeding a crop:

1. In the side case, choose the right gear (indented wheels) and install it on your Jang seeder – the size you choose will determine the seed spacing for the row. It will be easier if you put the front one before the rear one.
2. Once you have the right gear, you can select your seed roller and insert it in the hopper;
3. Make sure each brush on your hoppers is correctly set.
4. Install each hopper well, so that its gear is well connected to the chain.
5. Weight seeds in accordance with the desired density and add +50%;
6. Dispatch the seeds into your hopper(s) (no need to measure, you can eyeball the quantity). Try to make sure the quantities are even in each hopper. Depending on the number of rows you want to seed, you can leave certain hoppers empty – for example, you can seed a six-row crop with a Jang-5 by leaving two hoppers empty on a round trip;
7. Seed away!

From the start, always check that the seeds drop properly, otherwise it can lead to suboptimal seeding density. If there is a problem, here are a few tips.

• First, take a look at gear adjustment in the side case.
• Then the hoppers also have a gear that sometimes is not properly installed in its chain.
• Finally, the hopper brush may need to be adjusted.

With a multirow Jang, be careful that each hopper empties itself at the same rate as the others, otherwise, the rows won’t be uniform and the seed rate incorrect. The multirow Jang may jam between the shoes under the seeder because of debris on the bed. If it’s the case, stop immediately in order to remove anything that got stuck in it.

As you sow, walk straight and at a constant speed. At the end, take notes of the result. It is a matter of calculating the weight difference between the seeds placed in the seeder and after the seeding, which gives the quantity sown in the bed.

Tips from The Market Gardener:

Seeding requires a lot of focus and mistakes are very easily made if you are constantly distracted. Therefore…

• Turn off your cell phone or walkie-talkie;
• Focus on the task at hand;
• Get into a routine that you can follow every time you seed.
• Follow a direct seeding chart to which you can refer.

Also, try as much as possible to establish a clear seeding schedule and make sure to adjust your practices as you experiment with the seeder.

Overall, the Jang seeder is one of the best tools to have on a small-scale organic farm. We highly recommend you become equipped with one and transfer your whole seeding schedule to be handled by this device. It absolutely will repay itself by sowings with a consistent density, which means beautiful and abundant harvests!