The Best Vegetable Seeders Series - Part 4 - The Jang ...
The Best Vegetable Seeders Series - Part 4 - The Jang ...
Introduction
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The Jang Seeder will be our featured tool in this fourth and final installment of our series on the top direct seeders currently used by market gardeners. While there are a number of different models of Jang seeders, we will be looking at the JP series, specifically the JP-1 and the JP-5.
So far, we&#;ve looked closely at the Earthway Seeder ($168), followed by the Four-Row Pinpoint Seeder ($279), and then most recently, the Six-Row Seeder ($650). The Earthway is a good entry-level seeder in both price and quality. From there, the Four-Row is a big step up in performance, with the Six-Row taking it up a notch even further.
The Jang Seeder, however, is in its own class when it comes to comparing it with these other seeders in terms of precision and performance. I have personally owned and operated all three of the other seeders I have reviewed in this series during the course of my career as a farmer.
I view each of these other seeders as viable tools that can get the job done. However, when I look back on my personal experience with them, I now see them as stepping stones that ultimately led to the Jang.
The Pros of the Jang Seeder
Heavy-Duty Construction
Removable Hopper
Unlike the other direct seeders we have reviewed, the Jang has a removable hopper. Rather than tilting the entire seeder upside down to pour your remaining seed back into its container after seeding, the Jang allows you to simply remove the hopper and easily pour it back in.
It&#;s also incredibly convenient for changing seed rollers, adjusting the seed brush, or cleaning out the hopper. This can all be done in a standing position at a workbench without lifting the entire seeder onto a work surface or kneeling down to make adjustments when the seeder is in the field.
Steel Frame
The Jang Seeder has a substantial weight to it due to its heavy-duty steel frame construction. This significantly increases the stability, traction, and overall performance of the seeder as it is pushed through the bed. Rather than being bounced aside by a renegade rock, or having a wheel spin out from a loss of traction, the Jang can plow ahead at high speeds with little resistance, even in soils with a high degree of crop residue or other debris. Some farmers literally RUN when seeding with the Jang!
Steel Shoe
The steel shoe (mini-plow) on the Jang seeder is well equipped to push rocks to the side and cut through dry soil, wet soil, or soil that still has plant residue from the previous crop. It creates an even furrow and rarely gets clogged with soil, even when wet.
There is also a steel, spring-loaded covering attachment just behind the shoe, designed to cover over the furrow just after the seed is dropped.
High-Quality Wheels
The drive wheel on the front is equipped with teeth (or tabs) on the edges of the wheel to increase traction and ensure that the gears stay turning to maintain consistent seed drop.
The rear wheel is referred to as the &#;press wheel&#; and it ensures good seed-to-soil contact, smoothing and pressing the soil over the freshly sown seeds, just after they are covered. There is also a steel scraper engineered just above the press wheel, designed to scrape off any soil that may stick to the press wheel when direct seeding in wet conditions.
Seeds Wide Range of Crops
There is an incredibly wide variety of seed rollers available for the Jang Seeder, allowing for seeding the very smallest of plant seeds, all the way up to peas, corn, and beans. While the JP series will work with larger seeds, larger seed varieties are not its strong suit.
Highly Customizable
Adjustable Gears for In-Row Spacing
One of the stand-out features of the Jang is the highly customizable gear system. The Jang comes with a wide variety of sprockets, each with a different number of teeth. The numbers printed on the sprockets refer to how many teeth they have. Included with every Jang Seeder are a 9,10, two 11s, a 13, and a 14. The number of teeth on each sprocket impacts the speed at which the hopper is turned, which in turn affects the speed of the seed roller, and thus the amount of seed that is dropped.
Adjustable Brush for Seed Size
Just above the seed roller inside the removable hooper, is an adjustable brush that increases or decreases the about of space between the seed roller and the brush. In general, the seed (or seeds) should be sitting entirely within the hole of the seed roller, with the brush in the down position. This provides the greatest degree of accuracy for singulation, or dense seedings where you know X amount of seeds will fit into each hole of the roller.
For irregularly shaped plant seeds like beets and swiss chard, raising the brush will allow for an odd-shaped seed to still pass through without getting jammed or broken due to not enough clearance.
Adjustable Felt Guide Plate
The contoured felt guide plate that matches the arch of the seed roller is best used for smooth round seeds or pelleted seeds. For odd-shaped seeds such as lettuce, carrots, and beets, the guide plate insert should be removed. These kinds of seeds often get caught on the felt and interfere with the seed dropping consistently.
Adjustable Depth of Shoe (Plow)
The depth of the shoe can be adjusted with a size 13 wrench. There is both a nut and a bolt that need to be loosened in order to adjust the depth. There are depth marker lines on the post above the shoe, but they aren&#;t universally compatible. Making your own lines or marks to reference your desired depth settings is recommended.
In general, the thickness of the layer of soil covering the seed should mirror the thickness of the seed for ideal germination. Small seeds can be just barely covered, whereas larger seeds should be buried deeper. For example, a ½&#; thick bean should be buried ½&#; deep in the soil.
Adjustable Hopper Mounting Base
There is also a wing nut that allows you to adjust the side-to-side position of the hopper mounting base. The JP-1 allows you to slide the hopper mounting base ½&#; to each side, in the event you want your row to be off-center. This could come in handy if you wanted to roll over a line of drip tape, sowing your seed just to the side of it, or sowing just to the side of a pre-existing furrow.
This adjustment is more commonly used to adjust multi-row Jang Seeders, for customizing between-row spacings when adding or removing hoppers.
Adjustable Handle
There are three points of adjustment on the handle of the Jang Seeder.
- You can adjust the angle of the handle to accommodate your height (at the point where it fastens to the body of the seeder).
- You can adjust the length of the handle (halfway up the handle post).
- You can adjust the handlebar from side to side (at the top of the handle post, allowing you to comfortably walk in the pathway without hyperextending your back.
Limits Seed Waste
Save Labor on Thinning Seeds
Seeders that fail to singulate seed accurately will require you to go back over your rows after germination, and thin out the excess sprouts to create your desired in-row spacing. This is a tedious process that&#;s both physically taxing and time-consuming.
With the high degree of seed singulation accuracy that the Jang Seeder provides, you can completely eliminate the step of thinning out rows of over-crowded seedlings, effectively saving time and labor.
Save Money on Seed
Not only are you saving time&#;and your back!&#;by eliminating the step of thinning your rows, you are also saving money by no longer buying substantially more seed than you actually need for your plantings.
The Jang Seeder allows you to calculate exactly how much seed per bed you need. This takes out the guesswork when it comes to placing seed orders and accurately predicting your costs.
High Performance in a Variety of Soil Conditions
The Jang Seeder will operate in soil conditions where other seeders couldn&#;t. With so many variables thrown at you from mother nature, the Jang Seeder can allow you to stay on track with a tightly planned succession planting schedule. With the Four-Row Pinpoint Seeder and the Six-Row Seeder, you would have to postpone your seeding if the soil wasn&#;t ideal. With the Jange Seeder, the following soil conditions will no longer set you back:
- Too wet
- Too dry
- Too rocky
- Too fluffy
- Too much crop residue
The Jang can easily handle all of these conditions! That said, you still want to do your best to create ideal soil environments for germination. However, the Jang allows a lot of flexibility for real-life situations where the soil condition isn&#;t optimum. It also allows for No-Till growers to seed into beds that haven&#;t been prepped through conventional methods.
Multiple Accessories Available
Another great aspect of working with the Jang Seeder is how many accessories there are to choose from, allowing you to customize the seeder even further to do what you need it to do! Accessories include:
- Kick Stand: prevents the JP-1 from laying on its side all the time&#;very convenient!
- Double-Disk Opener: allows you to seed into heavier soil or soils where there is more crop residue (great for No-Till growers!)
- Add-On Hopper Assembly: allows you to customize your multi-row JP series Jang Seeder
- Add-On Hopper Assembly w/Narrow Shoe: narrower shoes (1/2&#; wide versus the standard 1- 3/8&#; wide) help reduce soil drag, plowing of soil, and excess buildup of soil between the shoes for multi-row seeders.
- Fertilizer Assembly: allows you to fertilize with powdered or granular fertilizer simultaneously while you seed.
- Double-Shoe: allows you to seed two staggered rows at a time
- 3-Point Hitch Kit: allows you to attach a multi-row seeder to a tractor
- Row Marker for the JP-1: creates a line for your next row, for straighter, more evenly spaced rows
Cons of the Jang Seeder
JP Series &#; Issues with Larger Seeds
While there are seed rollers for the JP Series Jang Seeders that will work with larger seeds (peas, beans, corn, etc.), the JP was designed to cater more towards smaller to medium-sized seeds.
Occasionally, larger seeds can get clogged in the shoot, as the diameter of the shoot is just a little wider than larger seed varieties. It&#;s important to walk slowly while seeding larger seeds, to ensure this doesn&#;t happen. When seeding small seeds with the JP series Jang Seeders, you can literally run if you want to, and it will still perform!
Seed plates, as opposed to seed rollers, typically perform better for larger seeds. The TD series Jang Seeders have plates rather than rollers and work extremely well for large seeds. If you direct sow a high volume of large seed crops, the TD series Jang Seeder, or even an Earthway Seeder will likely do best.
Price
Another drawback to the Jang Seeder is the price. It is among the more expensive options when it comes to direct seeding. This can be challenging for farmers just starting out with limited resources. However, with the Jang Seeder, you truly do &#;get what you pay for.&#; The craftsmanship, high-quality components, and superior performance of this seeder are worth the price. You will quickly recoup the investment with better germination, faster, evenly-spaced seeding, and less wasted seed.
Correctly spaced plants will lead to healthier crops, and ultimately higher yields and higher profits. It all starts with seeding!
Time Required for Swapping Rollers
When managing a diversified vegetable farm, you will need multiple seed rollers for multiple-sized seeds. Often, there will be a variety of seed sizes all scheduled for planting on the same day. This requires taking apart the hopper, changing out the seed roller, re-adjusting the seed brush, and ensuring any seed from the previous crop is cleaned out and not stuck in any cracks. This can take a lot of time, especially if you have to do it multiple times in a day.
Many growers have started purchasing additional hoppers and seed rollers that are designated for a specific crop. With this system, these hoppers never have to be readjusted at seeding time. It reduces the margin for error and saves a lot of labor time that would otherwise be used swapping rollers and making adjustments. Again, it&#;s an investment in more equipment, but over time, it pays for itself and speeds up workflow.
Multi-Row JP Jang Seeders
If you decide to step it up from the single-row JP-1, there are many multi-row Jang Seeders to choose from in the JP series. Here are the options:
- JP-2
- Frame width: 15&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 2
- Maximum outside row spacing: 12&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 5
- JP-3
- Frame width: 15&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 3
- Maximum outside row spacing: 12&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 5
- JP-4
- Frame width: 15&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 4
- Maximum outside row spacing: 12&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 5
- JP-5
- Frame width: 15&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 5
- Maximum outside row spacing: 12&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 5
- JP-6
- Frame width: 26&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 6
- Maximum outside row spacing: 22&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 8
- JP-6W
- Frame width: 40&#;
- Number of hoppers included: 6
- Maximum outside row spacing: 36&#;
- Maximum number of hoppers frame will accommodate: 12
JP-5 Jang Seeder
The 30&#; bed has become the standard in the world of small-scale market farming. As such, the 15&#; frame can achieve the highest density seeding on a 30&#; bed in just two passes.
Paperpot Co. decided to offer the JP-5 as the most versatile option of the JP series for market farmers. With the maximum of five hoppers in the 15&#; frame, you have the option to fill all five of the hoppers for 10 evenly spaced rows on a 30&#; bed.
You can just fill hoppers one, three, and five for six evenly spaced rows, or any other combination for your desired number of rows per bed.
The Paperpot Co. JP-5 comes with narrow shoes (1/2&#; wide versus the standard 1- 3/8&#; wide). This helps to greatly reduce the buildup of excess soil in between the shoes, which can be an issue with the standard-sized shoes on the stock JP-5.
The JP-5 vs. the Six-Row Seeder at Steadfast Farm
Erich Shultz of Steadfast Farm used the Six-Row Seeder for years. When their farm upgraded to the JP-5, he observed that in spite of the fact that they were now seeding 10 rows per bed (rather than 12 rows as they had with the Six-Row Seeder), they were actually seeing the same (if not better) yields per bed! The increased accuracy and efficiency of seeding led to healthier crops and higher yields.
He also noted how their level of bed prep was greatly reduced. The JP-5 allowed so much more flexibility for working around small amounts of debris or varying moisture levels. Plus, they no longer had to use the 30&#; Seed Roller for pre-tamping the soil.
The Six-Row Seeder also required constant downward pressure on the rear drive wheel in order to function properly. With their new JP-5, the operator could comfortably push the seeder through the bed without needing to worry about applying downward pressure anymore.
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How To Operate the Jang Seeder
Selecting and Installing Seed Rollers & Gears
For complete instructions on how to select and install the correct seed roller and gears for your crops, CLICK HERE to visit our website. We also have charts available for seed roller and gear ratio recommendations for the most common crops in market gardening.
Correctly Orienting the Sprocket
Once your seed roller is properly installed and your brush level is adjusted, it&#;s time to fill the hopper with seed and install it into the hopper mounting base. When installing the hopper base, ensure that the side with the sprocket is oriented correctly to engage the gear assembly. It&#;s possible to install the sprocket through the seed roller backward, in which case you wouldn&#;t be dropping any seed.
Priming the Seeder
Before you start pushing the seeder through the bed, it&#;s recommended to prime the seeder by pushing the seeder forward for just one rotation of the drive wheel. This ensures that the seed has begun dropping and filling the holes of your seed roller. Failing to do this can result in about a foot of blank space at the beginning of your bed (where the seed had not yet started dropping).
Seeding with the JP-1
When seeding a bed with the JP-1, you can grid the bed with either a gridder of some kind or a bed prep rake with row markers. These tools create a site line for each row (depending on how many rows per bed you intend to plant), and ensure perfect between-row spacing.
If absolutely perfect between-row spacing is a must for you, there are also techniques that can achieve a high degree of symmetrical between-row spacing without the need for the additional step of marking rows ahead of time.
To do this, begin by lining up the JP-1 to the far left side of the bed and seed your first row. Then seed the opposite edge of the bed in the same way, so your two outer rows are seeded first. Then seed a center row, using the two outer rows as your site guide. For a five-row bed, you could then split the difference by seeding your final two rows in the remaining spaces between rows one, three, and five.
Seeding with the JP-5
The JP-5, with five hoppers, will obviously require five seed rollers. However, there is still only one gear assembly, just like the JP-1. While there is the additional time for swapping five hoppers rather than one, the time saved by seeding five rows simultaneously more than compensates. You can change the hoppers in the JP-5 for a new crop in less than three minutes.
When using the JP-5, there is no need for marking rows in your bed. Each row will be evenly spaced 3&#; from the next. Simply line up the outer edge of the seeder with the edge of your 30&#; bed, make your first pass, and then repeat on the opposite side of your bed for 10 rows, perfectly spaced.
For more detailed information on the JP-5, including a chart on recommended rollers and gear ratios for top market garden crops, CLICK HERE to visit our website.
Conclusion
The Jang Seeders have quickly become the industry standard for small-scale market farming, and it&#;s easy to see why.
- They save you time by eliminating excessive bed prep.
- They save you time by eliminating the need to thin your rows from too much seed.
- They save you cost on buying and using excessive amounts of seed, thanks to their accuracy in seed singulation.
- They save you labor time by allowing you to move faster without sacrificing accuracy or quality.
- They allow you to stay on schedule, performing well in a variety of soil conditions.
- They provide a high degree of customization, with multiple adjustment points.
- They are built to last with the highest quality components.
- They create healthier crops and higher yields by correctly spaced seed and better germination.
If you are serious about pursuing farming as a profitable long-term business, the Jang Seeder is one of the best tools you can invest in.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
New to the Paperpot System? Check out our free resources all about the paperpot transplanter!
Read the Growers NotesRelevant Links
Josh Sattin: Jang JP-5 Seeder vs. Six-Row Seeder | Four-Row Pinpoint Seeder | The Six-Row Seeder
Buyers' Guide: Seed Tenders
With a narrowing window of time to get crops planted, you can't afford for planters to sit in fields on sunny days waiting for seed. Seed tenders keep planters rolling by efficiently moving bulk amounts of seed. Here are six questions you need to answer before you buy a new seed tender.
1. What type of planter do you use?
Answering this question will help determine the unit capacity as well as the unload range you need.
"Depending on the population, 100 units will plant approximately 220 to 250 acres of corn," says Shawn Gerdeman, Unverferth. "That will satisfy planting needs for the day if you have a 16-row planter. If you have a 24- or 36-row planter, you may be able to achieve 300 to 400 acres per day, and you'll need 200 units or more."
If you are filling an individual box planter, you will want to know the range the tender will load, says Ron Neustaeter, Convey-All. Some seed tenders only have the necessary reach to fill a 12-row, 30-inch planter. If you have a larger box planter and want to unload without moving, make sure the unload range is adequate for planter size.
If you have a central-fill planter, you will want augers or conveyors that are at least 21 feet long.
2. Do you have more corn or soybean acres?
Bulk-box units tend to work better for corn planting because you can carry more varieties. You can normally choose between a two- or four-box unit. New this year, Meridian introduced a Titan seed tender that will allow you to hold up to six bulk boxes and a total of 300 units of seed.
While bulk-box units are what most producers use now for seed corn, this could be changing.
"In the past, most seed corn came in boxes, and you could buy soybeans in bulk," says Neustaeter. "But I believe the corn market is changing as far as being able to purchase bulk seed. Everybody has a different preference depending on what they are planting."
For crops planted at higher populations with fewer varieties (such as soybeans and wheat), bulk seed tenders are used more frequently. Bulk tenders typically have two compartments, although commercial models will have more.
Capacity size ranges from about 100 units to more than 1,000. Again, look at your planter, population rate, and how many acres you can plant in a day to choose the correct size.
Also, take a look at the split between your corn and soybean acres to see if a bulk box or bulk tender is a better option. If you run two planters, you'll most likely want one of each.
3. How quickly do you want to move seed?
Seed tenders are available with augers or belt conveyors. Belt conveyors tend to unload more gently and at faster rates than augers because of the way they handle seed. For noncommercial units, unload rates range from 10 bushels per minute up to 45 bushels per minute.
More and more seed tenders are available with a self-load feature that makes it easy to move seed into the tender. Manufacturers have also expanded the abilities of self-load conveyors.
Unverferth had customers asking for the ability to pull seed from a hopper trailer, so the company came out with the . This seed tender has an intake conveyor, so it can self-fill directly from a grain trailer.
"It adds more value to a self-loading feature when you can get under a semitrailer," explains Gerdeman.
Meridian's new Seed Express 400 has a 24-foot conveyor that isn't part of the body of the tender. The conveyor can be used to unload and fill the tender. It can also be used independently to unload from wagons or bins into semitrailers.
"The most important thing with seed tender technology is how quick you can get loaded and back to planting," says Randy Riecks, Meridian. "Sometimes you only have a couple of days for that window of opportunity." Wireless remotes provide another way to accelerate the process.
Most manufacturers offer wireless remotes, either as a standard feature on larger units or as an option. The controls on these remotes can include turning the conveyor on and off, raising and lowering the conveyor, opening and closing the doors, starting and stopping the engine, adjusting engine throttle, swinging the conveyor, monitoring the scale indicator, and putting the conveyor into a self-loading position.
Options like Unverferth's T&G Applicator speed up seed tending by metering a specific amount of talc and graphite during the unloading process.
If you'd like your seed tender to double as a weigh wagon in the fall, you'll also want to look at a scale package. With some scale packages, you have the ability to program how much seed you'd like to load into each seed box. The conveyor will automatically shut off at that weight.
4. Do you want to haul fertilizer?
Most standard seed tenders aren't made to haul fertilizer.
"A fertilizer tender needs to be more durable and made from stainless steel," explains Gerdeman. "With the corrosive nature of fertilizer, it can dry out ordinary rubber components, and it's tough on seed belts."
Larger seed tenders with multiple compartments have stainless steel options if you'd like the ability to haul seed and fertilizer.
5. How will you haul the seed tender?
You can choose to purchase a seed tender with or without a trailer. Most of the time it makes sense to buy the trailer, unless you have an extra trailer available or want to haul other inputs.
"We sell the most seed tenders without trailers in certain regions of the Corn Belt," says Riecks. "Sometimes if farmers have a lot of corn acres, they'll put a box tender on a flatbed trailer and fertilizer, as well."
6. How much are you willing to spend?
Prices vary greatly depending on the size and features. Smaller seed tenders run from about $10,000 to $25,000. You can purchase large seed tenders with all the bells and whistles ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 and up for commercial units.
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