Rachael Kadish

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm considering a push seeder and am leaning towards the Hoss after learning from here that it can still plant in "less than ideal" soils. The Earthway just seems too lightweight for our situation. I'm also tempted by the Jang, but it seems pricey, especially when you factor in the seed rollers...

I'm mostly direct seeding small / irregular-shaped seeds: mustards, cutting lettuce, carrots, turnips, radishes, dill, parsnips. Then the big stuff: beans, peas, cilantro. We're up in Zone 5A and found that transplanted beets did better for us last season than direct seeded. Though I may still direct seed those to see how they compare over time.

Wayne, do you find that the Hoss Seeder does well with a wide range of seed sizes / shapes, especially because you can customize the plates? Or does it excel with particular seeds and struggle with others? Also, do you do a lot of thinning with the Hoss? I've heard that the Earthway tends to overseed, particularly small seeds, so you end up spending lots of time thinning. Hoping that's not as true for the Hoss.  

Anyone out there using a Jang or other push seeder (maybe a Planet Jr)?

Thanks for your feedback!

Hello all, I am new to this forum so forgive me if this topic is posted elsewhere (I couldn't find it).

I am currently volunteering at a natural history museum in Palestine. They have an aquaponics system inside of a greenhouse. The system has pretty significant pest problems. Mosquitos, white flies, and other flying insects I haven't identified.

I know that introducing beneficial insects is very helpful, but it is impossible to order beneficial insects in Palestine. Planting plants that attract them could be useful, but does not help with the short term issue.

I am looking for recommendations on how folks have dealt with pest infestations in their aquaponics systems. Thanks!  

Hi all,

I recently found an old maple tree with tons of oysters (pleurotus ostreatus) growing near the top. The attached picture only shows a small portion. The tree is in an urban area.

I'm curious if anyone knows of a way to send some of the mushrooms in for tissue analysis, to know if they're accumulating dangerous quantities of contaminants. We do this for plants all the time, but not necessarily fungi!