Sowing in rows by hand

When you sow or plant, make the lines quite straight.
Use a marker to make the lines.
This is a wooden bar with teeth. Each tooth marks a row.
To get the first row quite straight, stretch a string between two stakes. Then follow the string with the marker.

A marker

The distance between rows changes according to the size of the seed.

Put the seeds in the rows at the same distance apart and at the same depth (see Booklet No. 3, page 21 )

Cover the seeds with a little earth. Walk over the row to press down the earth.

Then the field will be sown at the right density (see Booklet No. 1, page 26).

· Certain plants such as cotton and millet are sown in seed holes.

Seed holes too must be made in rows.

By that means you can be sure of the right density, you can get rid of weeds and apply pesticides more easily.

To put the seeds at the same distance apart, you can use a spacing wheel.

The spacing wheel.

This can be made of wood or iron. Each tooth of the wheel makes a little hole in the soil. Put one or more seeds in each hole. Cover the seeds with a little earth, either with the hoe or your foot.

A spacing wheel