Equipment for Planting Corn and Cereals
Plant grain in your garden like you would any other seed (Source: Baileylineroad.com)
Once you’ve prepared your soil, it is time to plant. The equipment you use will depend mostly on the scale of your plot but also on the crop. Before you invest in equipment, always ask your extension agent, neighbors, or soil and water conservation district office if they know of equipment for rent, or people who offer custom services. If you have mechanical know-how, you may wish to buy older equipment at auction. And if you are growing on a small- or garden-scale, you can probably repurpose some of your existing equipment to work for grain.
Planting grains is typically done directly, rather than as transplants (though you can transplant corn and you should transplant rice). Because they are (mostly) grasses, you can seed grain like you would your lawn, by broadcasting, and do OK. Broadcasting uses more seed than precision seeding, but at the garden or mid-scale this may be the easiest way to get your crop in the ground. Once you’ve broadcast the seeds, rake them in by hand or use a harrow or light disc with your tractor.
Cereals appreciate a firm seedbed, so it is worth going over your seeded plot with some sort of drum or roller to press them into the soil. Attaching these implements to each other allows you to accomplish all three tasks in one pass. If you have a precision seeder, you can use this to seed your crop too. It will take longer but you will use less seed and be more likely to get the spacing right. Also, the seeder covers the seed and presses it in in a single pass. Some growers have lashed together several of these to create a multi-gang seeder to make it go faster, or you can buy a multi-gang seeder like this one.
Corn has another option, because of its importance as a crop. If you like old equipment, you can pick up a one- or two-row corn planter that will do a great job–just remember to match the row spacing to your cultivation equipment.
If you’re growing grain on much more than an acre, though, you’ll want to consider investing in a seed drill. This will allow you to be much more efficient with your planting, and it will seed a better stand. Companies like Land Pride make compact seed drills that can be pulled by a small tractor and are maneuverable in small spaces. Many are designed for orchards or vineyards, so that also suggests places to look for used ones.
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2019-38640-29878 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS20-327. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
