A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of designs including the straight dibber, T-handled dibber, trowel dibber, and L-shaped dibber.

History

The dibber was first recorded in Roman times and has remained mostly unchanged since. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, farmers would use long-handled dibbers of metal or wood to plant crops. One person would walk with a dibber making holes, and a second person would plant seeds in each hole and fill it in. It was not until the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

that dibbers became a manufactured item, some made of iron for penetrating harder soils and clay.

Straight dibber

This is the classic dibber. It is anything from a sharpened stick to a more complicated model incorporating a curved handle and pointed steel end. It may be made of wood, steel or plastic.

T-handled dibber

This dibber is much like the classic dibber, but with a T-grip that fits in the palm to make it easier to apply

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

. This allows the user to exert even pressure, creating consistent hole depth.

Trowel dibber

This dibber combines the features of a dibber and a

trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger gas ...

. It is usually forged from

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

or other lightweight material. One end is for dibbing, and the other end is shaped like a trowel.

In popular culture

British comedian

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter. He is known for his quick wit, writing and starring in the sitcom ''Not Going Out'', being a team captain on the ...

donated a T-handled dibber to the

British Lawnmower Museum The British Lawnmower Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the lawnmowers in Southport, Merseyside, northern England. The museum has over 300 restored exhibits of garden machinery from over the last 200 years, as well as a collection o ...

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

, and spoke about it on the panel game show '' Would I Lie to You?'' (Series six, Episode three, first broadcast 27 April 2012). In military parlance an aircraft-dropped 'dibber bomb' is an anti-runway penetration bomb which destroys runways by first penetrating below the tarmac before exploding, cratering, and displacing the surface, making repairs difficult and time consuming, during which conventional airplanes can neither land nor take off.

References

Sources and external links

*William Bryant Logan, ''Smith & Hawken The Tool Book'', 1997
Antique Farm Tools
* {{Commons category, Dibbles Gardening tools Farming tools