A riddle is a large

sieve A sieve (), fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet m ...

used to separate

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

particles, or for separating soil from

vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...

Etymology

English "riddle" is from Middle English ''ridelle'' "coarse sieve," from late Old English ''hriddel'' "sieve," altered by dissimilation from Old English ''hridder'' "sieve"

Description

A riddle may be square, rectangular or circular in shape, with a rim made from

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

, metal,

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

beechwood Beechwood may refer to: Plants * Beech wood, the wood from any of ten species of beech trees * Malay beechwood, tree ''Gmelina arborea'', and its wood * Willow beechwood '' Faurea saligna'', and its wood Places Canada * Beechwood, Ontario ...

, holding in place a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

wire mesh Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. It serves as a thesaurus of index terms that facilitates searching. Created and updated by th ...

that may either be handwoven or machine-made. A typical circular riddle is approximately in diameter and the mesh may have a spacing of something like , , , , or . A riddle is typically used to improve

soil quality Soil quality refers to the condition of soil based on its capacity to perform ecosystem services that meet the needs of human and non-human life.Tóth, G., Stolbovoy, V. and Montanarella, 2007. Soil Quality and Sustainability Evaluation - An integ ...

by allowing the

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppleme ...

to sieve through soil and remove stones, twigs, large lumps of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

etc. and hence provide a finer

tilth Tilth is a physical condition of soil, especially in relation to its suitability for planting or growing a crop. Factors that determine tilth include the formation and stability of aggregated soil particles, moisture content, degree of aeration, ...

. Smaller riddles can be used to separate soil very finely for seeds and early potting. Riddles may also be used to help remove soil from harvested vegetables.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle (Tool) Gardening tools Solid-solid separation Material-handling equipment

Etymology

Description

See also

References