Slide Hammer Seeder

Here are some links to show how to build and use a slide hammer seeder for small seeds. I thought this might be a good labor saving device so I built one for a friend who grows a 5 acre market garden. She tested it out and said that it works very well. I'm planning to build another one for myself for amaranth and quinoa planting. It should save me a lot of backaches.

https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/28/6/article-p...

https://permies.com/t/106134/Slide-Hammer-Seeder-seed-planting

Attached is a photo of me holding the one I built for my friend.

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ClareBroommaker's picture

I don't guess yall have a dry enough planting season to have trouble with static cling among small seeds.

I used to feel pride at how flexible I am and how I could stoop, bend, and squat all day. But these days fatigue is my problem and more upright work would save a lot of energy, maybe helping me make it through a day. Most certainly if I had five acres of tiny seed to plant.

We are in a near desert here with only about 12 inches of precipitation a year. I suppose that cling could be a problem, but that's what the hammer part is for. The holes in the bottle are sized for the seed you are planting and , when the hammer hits the stop, it shakes two seeds at a time down the copper tube which can be adjusted for planting depth.

Sweet Tatorman's picture

Thanks for posting this. I studied the ashs.org link closely. While I will not be building what they have detailed, their discussion of the mechanics of dispensing small seed has given food for thought that I likely can put to use.
A few comments on their design as presented.
1) I understand that their incorporation of the Tees and Ells in the actual hammer permitted investigation of the effects of variable hammer weight. For an actual production unit a few $ could be saved by eliminating the Tees and Ells and replacing the connecting PVC with the length of iron pipe necessary to provide the desired mass.
2) The depth control foot could be simplified by eliminating the added piece and just bending the flattened lower end of the EMT into an L shape.
3) With their design for the seeder shoe it is not clear to me why many of the seeds would not end up on the surface rather than at the intended depth.

I think the reason for not using a piece of metal pipe is because of friction - the plastic slides easily over the conduit without needing lubrication. I agree with your second two comments. I wonder if the design of the shoe was because of the ease of plugging with a more enclosed design.