Getting the right tools for the job

Fusion_power · December 24, 2011

I'm at the stage of producing seed that I need to mechanize some parts of the process.

Since a lot of the seed I produce is in the legume family, I've been running into problems with shelling peas, beans, cowpeas, etc. I started watching for a good pea sheller on ebay and Craigslist about 2 years ago and finally found one about a week ago in Tuscaloosa Alabama which is 90 miles south from my home. I managed to combine a trip to pick it up with a visit to my niece and a trip to Birmingham. End result is a very usable pea sheller for $250.00
http://www.peasheller.com/

My next tool is a good seed separator system. I'm going to build my own with a small but heavy duty squirrel cage fan and some sheet metal. It will need a strong air stream to blow out pieces of stem, hull, and trash leaving the seed clean and ready to ship.

Most of this will not apply to tomato seed, but one tool I will need is something to remove the fuzz from tomato seed. If you look closely at commercial seed, it has been put in a tumbler and tumbled until the seed is smooth. This makes planting easier because the seed don't stick together.

I had an opportunity a couple of years ago to demonstrate to a couple of 17 year old kids who were helping in the garden how to build your own tools. I needed a tool to drive T-posts into the ground and a tool to pry them back out again. I just happened to have a piece of heavy steel tubing about 3 inches diameter plus a sheet of 1/4 inch thick steel that I could cut to fit. I cut a 3.5 ft long section of the steel tube and welded a head on it that has a notch to fit around the T-post and pull it up. The head is mounted at an angle so that all I have to do is put a small board on the ground, place the post driver/puller on the board with the notch around the post, and step on the end of the pipe. Leverage does the rest. What was funny was the look on their faces when I took the raw pipe and in 30 minutes turned it into a tool that we used for the rest of the day.

DarJones - wearing my jack of all trades hat this week.

**carolyn137** · December 24, 2011

Most of this will not apply to tomato seed, but one tool I will need is something to remove the fuzz from tomato seed. If you look closely at commercial seed, it has been put in a tumbler and tumbled until the seed is smooth. This makes planting easier because the seed don't stick together.

******
I have looked at commercial seed and I don't see much difference between that seed and what I produce via fermentation. And most commercial seed producers do use a form of fermentation as I know we've discussed here before.

How do you process your seed, what method?

Some places use TSP treatment which makes the seeds smaller and darker in color, and that does take off the fuzz on the seed coat, but I know you wouldn't want to use TSP, or at least I don't think so.

So my seeds come out beige and fluffy and I can't tell them from most commercial tomato seeds and while they may cling to each other while drying on a non-coated paper plate even though I spread them out well, after I scape them off they don't stick together that much.

How about an variable speed electronically driven hamster wheel to consider as your tumbler?

Mark0820 · December 24, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

I managed to combine a trip to pick it up with a visit to my niece and a trip to Birmingham. End result is a very usable pea sheller for $250.00
http://www.peasheller.com/

Interesting! I had no idea a peasheller existed.

December 24, 2011	#1
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Getting the right tools for the job I'm at the stage of producing seed that I need to mechanize some parts of the process. Since a lot of the seed I produce is in the legume family, I've been running into problems with shelling peas, beans, cowpeas, etc. I started watching for a good pea sheller on ebay and Craigslist about 2 years ago and finally found one about a week ago in Tuscaloosa Alabama which is 90 miles south from my home. I managed to combine a trip to pick it up with a visit to my niece and a trip to Birmingham. End result is a very usable pea sheller for $250.00 http://www.peasheller.com/ My next tool is a good seed separator system. I'm going to build my own with a small but heavy duty squirrel cage fan and some sheet metal. It will need a strong air stream to blow out pieces of stem, hull, and trash leaving the seed clean and ready to ship. Most of this will not apply to tomato seed, but one tool I will need is something to remove the fuzz from tomato seed. If you look closely at commercial seed, it has been put in a tumbler and tumbled until the seed is smooth. This makes planting easier because the seed don't stick together. I had an opportunity a couple of years ago to demonstrate to a couple of 17 year old kids who were helping in the garden how to build your own tools. I needed a tool to drive T-posts into the ground and a tool to pry them back out again. I just happened to have a piece of heavy steel tubing about 3 inches diameter plus a sheet of 1/4 inch thick steel that I could cut to fit. I cut a 3.5 ft long section of the steel tube and welded a head on it that has a notch to fit around the T-post and pull it up. The head is mounted at an angle so that all I have to do is put a small board on the ground, place the post driver/puller on the board with the notch around the post, and step on the end of the pipe. Leverage does the rest. What was funny was the look on their faces when I took the raw pipe and in 30 minutes turned it into a tool that we used for the rest of the day. DarJones - wearing my jack of all trades hat this week.

December 24, 2011	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Most of this will not apply to tomato seed, but one tool I will need is something to remove the fuzz from tomato seed. If you look closely at commercial seed, it has been put in a tumbler and tumbled until the seed is smooth. This makes planting easier because the seed don't stick together. ****** I have looked at commercial seed and I don't see much difference between that seed and what I produce via fermentation. And most commercial seed producers do use a form of fermentation as I know we've discussed here before. How do you process your seed, what method? Some places use TSP treatment which makes the seeds smaller and darker in color, and that does take off the fuzz on the seed coat, but I know you wouldn't want to use TSP, or at least I don't think so. So my seeds come out beige and fluffy and I can't tell them from most commercial tomato seeds and while they may cling to each other while drying on a non-coated paper plate even though I spread them out well, after I scape them off they don't stick together that much. How about an variable speed electronically driven hamster wheel to consider as your tumbler? __________________ Carolyn