5 Best Earthway 2000B Seeders For Budget

Spending hours on your hands and knees, painstakingly placing tiny carrot seeds one by one, is a romantic notion that wears off by the end of the first row. Your back aches, the sun beats down, and you start wondering if there’s a better way. A walk-behind seeder is that better way, turning a day of tedious labor into an hour of satisfying work. This single tool can be the difference between a garden that feels like a chore and one that brings you joy and productivity.

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Choosing a Walk-Behind Seeder for Your Garden

Not all seeders are built for the same job. The right choice for your hobby farm depends entirely on what you’re planting, how much you’re planting, and the condition of your soil. A cheap broadcast spreader is perfect for quickly sowing a cover crop, but it’s a disaster for planting straight rows of beets. You have to match the tool to the task.

Think about your primary needs. Are you planting a few 50-foot rows of mixed vegetables in well-tilled soil? Or are you trying to establish a half-acre of clover in a rougher pasture? The former calls for a precision row seeder, while the latter needs a durable broadcast spreader. The main trade-off is always between speed and precision. Fast and wide coverage is great for some things, but meticulous single-seed placement is essential for others.

Most hobby farmers need both, but you have to start somewhere. For vegetable gardens, a row seeder is the priority. It saves an incredible amount of time in both planting and the inevitable task of thinning. Don’t make the mistake of buying a lawn spreader and expecting it to plant your corn; you’ll end up with a chaotic mess and wasted seed.

Earthway 2000B: The Versatile Hobby Farm Pick

The Earthway 2000B is often the first "real" seeder a new farmer buys, and for good reason. It’s an affordable, lightweight tool that gets the job done for a wide range of common garden seeds, from tiny lettuce to larger beans and corn. It comes with a set of interchangeable seed plates that let you switch between crops quickly. The all-in-one design opens a furrow, drops the seed, and covers it in a single pass.

This seeder is the definition of a budget workhorse. It’s mostly plastic, which keeps the cost and weight down, making it easy to maneuver around the garden. For someone graduating from hand-sowing, the speed and back-saving convenience are a revelation. It’s not perfect, but it reliably puts seeds in the ground at a roughly correct spacing, which is a huge step up.

However, you get what you pay for. The lightweight construction can feel flimsy and may struggle to penetrate compacted or rocky soil. The seed spacing can be inconsistent, meaning you’ll definitely still need to thin your seedlings. But as a versatile, entry-level tool that handles dozens of different vegetables, the Earthway 2000B is a solid starting point for most small gardens.

Chapin 8701B: A Solid and Simple Alternative

Think of the Chapin 8701B as the direct competitor to the Earthway. It operates on the same principle, using interchangeable plates to plant single rows, and it occupies a similar price point. Many gardeners find its powder-coated steel frame and handles feel a bit more robust than the Earthway’s plastic build, giving it an edge in durability.

The Chapin comes with six standard seed plates that cover 20 common seed types. Like the Earthway, it creates a furrow, drops the seed, and a rear wheel tamps the soil closed. Some users report that its furrow opener performs slightly better in soils that aren’t perfectly tilled. It shares the same core limitation as other budget models: precision can be hit-or-miss, and you should plan on thinning your rows.

Ultimately, the choice between the Chapin 8701B and the Earthway 2000B often boils down to which one is on sale. They are both capable machines that fill the exact same role on a hobby farm. If you value a slightly sturdier frame, lean towards the Chapin. Otherwise, pick the one that offers the better deal.

Scotts Wizz Spreader: For Small Lawns & Plots

Let’s be clear: this is not a vegetable seeder. The Scotts Wizz is a handheld, battery-powered broadcast spreader. Its job is to fling seeds or granular products over a wide area, not to plant them in neat rows. Trying to plant a row of carrots with this would be an exercise in pure frustration.

So why is it on this list? Because it excels at a very specific and common hobby farm task: sowing cover crops or grass seed in small areas. If you need to overseed a bare patch in your pasture or quickly plant a bed of buckwheat to smother weeds, the Wizz is incredibly fast and efficient. It holds enough material to cover up to 2,500 square feet and its EdgeGuard feature helps keep seed out of adjacent garden beds.

This tool is about speed, not precision. It’s a fantastic supplementary tool for a small-scale operation. You wouldn’t want it as your only seeder, but for quick broadcasting jobs, it’s far easier than lugging out a larger push spreader or trying to get an even cast by hand.

Agri-Fab 45-0543 Push Spreader: Dual-Purpose

The Agri-Fab 45-0543 is a step up from the handheld Scotts Wizz, designed for broadcasting material over larger areas. This is a push-style spreader with a generous 130-pound capacity hopper and large pneumatic tires that handle uneven ground much better than small plastic wheels. Its primary function is for lawns, but it’s a powerhouse for the hobby farmer.

This is the tool you want for seeding a quarter-acre of cover crops, establishing a new pasture, or spreading pelletized lime or fertilizer over your entire garden plot. The enclosed gearbox is more durable than what you find on cheaper models, and the spread pattern is wide and relatively consistent. It allows you to cover a lot of ground very quickly.

Again, it’s crucial to understand its purpose. This is a broadcast spreader. It does not plant in rows. It’s a dual-purpose machine for lawn care and broad-acre farm tasks. If a significant part of your operation involves cover cropping or managing pasture, this tool is an invaluable time-saver. For planting vegetables, look elsewhere.

Hoss Garden Seeder: Precision for Serious Rows

The Hoss Garden Seeder represents a significant leap in both quality and price. While the others are budget-friendly entry tools, the Hoss is a long-term investment in precision and durability. Made from powder-coated steel with Amish-crafted hardwood handles, this seeder is built to be passed down to the next generation.

Its design is what sets it apart. A rolling coulter slices through the soil ahead of the furrow opener, allowing it to work effectively even in less-than-perfectly tilled ground. The seed-plate mechanism is far more precise than its plastic counterparts, resulting in much more accurate seed spacing. This means less wasted seed and, most importantly, far less time spent on your knees thinning out overcrowded seedlings.

While its upfront cost is higher, the Hoss can be a smart "budget" choice over the long haul. You save money on seed, you save countless hours on labor, and you won’t need to replace it in a few years. If you are serious about growing in rows and plan to do it for years to come, the Hoss is the benchmark for walk-behind precision.

Understanding and Modifying Your Seed Plates

No matter which seeder you buy, the seed plates are the heart of the machine. These small, simple discs control what seed gets picked up and how frequently it’s dropped. The charts that come with seeders are a good starting point, but they are rarely perfect for every seed variety or desired spacing.

Before you ever take your new seeder to the garden, test it. Lay down a 10-foot strip of cardboard or a tarp in your workshop and run the seeder over it. This lets you see the actual drop pattern and spacing with your specific seed. You might find the recommended plate for spinach drops three seeds at a time or the beet setting is far too close.

Don’t be afraid to modify your plates. This is where you can turn a decent tool into a great one. For wider spacing, you can use a piece of electrical tape to cover every other hole on the plate. If a seed is just slightly too large for a hole, you can carefully enlarge it with a small drill bit. A few minutes of tinkering can save you hours of thinning and dramatically improve your results.

Final Seeder Verdict for Your Small-Scale Farm

There is no single "best" seeder; there is only the best seeder for your specific situation. Your choice should be guided by your budget, the crops you grow, and the scale of your garden.

Here’s a simple framework:

• For the diverse vegetable gardener on a strict budget: Start with the Earthway 2000B or the Chapin 8701B. They are versatile, affordable, and a massive improvement over planting by hand.
• For managing soil with cover crops: If you have small plots, the handheld Scotts Wizz is a handy, quick solution. For larger areas, the Agri-Fab Push Spreader is a durable workhorse.
• For the serious market gardener or homesteader: The Hoss Garden Seeder is the clear winner. Its precision and durability are an investment that pays dividends in saved seed and labor for years to come.

Ultimately, a seeder is a tool to save your back and your time—two of the most valuable resources on any farm. Choose the one that best fits your immediate needs, but don’t be afraid to upgrade as your operation grows. Getting seeds in the ground efficiently is the first step to a successful harvest.

A reliable seeder transforms planting day from a dreaded chore into a satisfying task. By matching the right tool to your garden’s scale and your farming goals, you’re not just buying a piece of equipment; you’re buying back time. Make this the season you put away the hand trowel and make your planting more productive than ever before.