Living salad: seed sowing jig

[Chestnut]

How about a ‘comb’ with 1cm teeth and gaps just wide enough for seeds to get through (hopefully the width of a saw blade would work..) to deal with the side to side spacing, then manually do the row spacing using a steel ruler in front of the comb which you lift to let seeds throug wherever you want a row.

Alternatively, find out who makes the robot the supermarket suppliers use, and ask them to give you a price for making you a bespoke small-scale machine?

[quanglewangle]

Alternatively, find out who makes the robot the supermarket suppliers use, and ask them to give you a price for making you a bespoke small-scale machine?

I actually have, or at least had, the skills to program something like this


but its just shy of £200 and because it hasn't got sufficient reach it would also need a step driven conveyor to move the tray back and forth. Also, although this device could probably place seeds quite well it would need some work to ensure it picked up exactly one at a time, And on and on....

[veggiechicken]

Or you could use a damp matchstick end.

[veggiechicken]

Slightly more serious suggestion...............

I have some plug plant trays like this

If you cut one to fit your compost filled salad tray and press it down into the compost you leave indentations in the compost. You can either drop a seed into each indent whilst the plug plant tray is in place (then remove it) or remove it first and sow into each indent.

Easy peasy!

[SarrissUK]

I like that idea VC! That would make it so much easier to prick them out later on too, if that's what you want to do.

[Vegi potager]

Like the idea of this fresh living lettuce stuff over the winter.
Kitchen window- south facing, tick
load of recycled veg trays, tick
seeds, tick
compost, tick
seen someone suggest loo roll and flour paste to make seed tapes, tick
Glasses to see the seeds... I know they are around here some where

[happyhumph]

I read it as liver salad initially

[veggiechicken]

I read it as liver salad initially

............and I thought a "jig" was a dance


Take your partners ....................

[veggiechicken]

My apologies QW,, but I have to do it..............


You put your right hand in
Your right hand out
Pick up your seed packet
and shake it all about.

You do the hoe and pokey
and wait for the seeds to sprout

(All together now)

Do............the hoe and pokey
Do............the hoe and pokey
Do............the hoe and pokey
And wait for your seeds to sprout.


VC sits down exhausted.

[quanglewangle]

You lot can mock me but remember i am married; have had three feral children; and lectured undergraduates, so i have been mocked by experts.

[happyhumph]

Should we try harder On a serious note hope you find/make something that works for you. The small cell trays as VC suggested are very good but you have to keep on top of the watering - I used some this year for wildflower plugs and had to resow when the first lot got frazzled in the greenhouse.

[Bren In Pots]

Mr Pots suggested something like a salt pot/shaker but with larger holes.

[quanglewangle]

Should we try harder On a serious note hope you find/make something that works for you. The small cell trays as VC suggested are very good but you have to keep on top of the watering - I used some this year for wildflower plugs and had to resow when the first lot got frazzled in the greenhouse.

VC's suggestion, which I may try, was actually to use the small cell trays as a jig: place the empty tray over the compost; drop a seed into each cell relying on the hole at the base to achieve placement; and remove the tray. Sounds like it may work. I may video the attempt for the further amusement of the board.

edited to remove small illiteracy - others may remain.

[Snoop Puss]

QW, I've very much enjoyed this thread. Keep them coming!

[rary]

How about dampening half a sheet of kitchen roll placing your seeds on it then fold other half over run the side of your hand over it to stick the paper together, this of course can be done as a family activity and if you all sit round a small table you only need the one light and as you are old, two of your children can sit either side of you for support and again as you would all be sitting close together you get shared body warmth which means less heating therefore saving money

I wish I had thought of this when my family were in the house, now I will need to wait till I am old and get the grandchildrens help