I need a planter

N1ST · Sep 16, 2008

This year I planted by hand and it was a hassle. Next year I want to use a planter of some sort. I plan to plant 300 ft rows of beans and corn. I have a tractor, but it seems like 3pt planters are expensive and hard to find in my area. Are those manual push planter any good? The soil will be soft, fluffy and tilled. Thanks.

Bird · Sep 16, 2008

I certainly liked my Earthway Precision Planter. It came with 6 plates and I ordered the other 5, along with a canvas pouch to mount on it so I always had all the plates handy. I bought mine from a local store in Hillsboro, TX, that was similar to a Tractor Supply Co. store. Hillsboro didn't have a TSC at that time, but does now. I was just planting 80' rows, but it would have been even more important if the rows had been longer.

moeh1 · Sep 17, 2008

I looked hard at the Earthway as well and ended up with a competitor - Midwest. It has bigger wheels and we have alot of rocks, plus it also had a built in fertilizer function. Way ahead of a tractor setup for use and storage for the size garden an average homeowner needs

Bird · Sep 17, 2008

Marty, I bought the Earthway because a neighbor had one and it looked good to me, then I saw one in the store and bought it. I hadn't heard of the Midway so I had to look it up after seeing your post. It looks good, so I thought I'd provide a link in case anyone is interested.

moeh1 · Sep 17, 2008

Bird,
Thanks for the link, I had found mine on Eb--, while I was looking for a good deal on an Earthway. Both of them get good reviews and it sure beats my old bending over method!

randy41 · Sep 17, 2008

i've been using an earthway for many years and find that is excellent for planting beans. For planting sweet corn its not real great because it will not drop one seed at a time.

N1ST · Sep 17, 2008

Thanks guys. I see that there are a few brands that look like the Mideast including this one. I wonder if the quality is the same. I'd be willing to pay more for better quality, but I guess there isn't such available.

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moeh1 · Sep 17, 2008

I didn't keep the link afer I bought mine, but there is a
site with some tips on improving the earthway performance. some corn is smaller and needed a different plate, some plates they taped off every other hole etc. One supplier had seeds specifically for the earthway. Carrots were coated to be bigger and drop better, etc.

milkman · Sep 19, 2008

I've had a Midway for several years, long enough that the belt dry rotted and I had to order a new one. I inherited an Earthway and I tape up every other hole in the plate for sweet corn and it works well. The Earthway don't have the fertilizer box, didn't use it on the Midway so not having the box didn't matter to me. Overall I prefer the Earthway, it seems to cover better since it has a chain to cover the seeds. Either works well and saves a lot of time on long rows, one pass and it's done.