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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
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 analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
. 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 ga ...
. It is usually forged from
aluminum
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium 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 and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
donated a T-handled dibber to the
British Lawnmower Museum,
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
, 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.
See also
*
Pottiputki (tool)
References
Sources and external links
*William Bryant Logan, ''Smith & Hawken The Tool Book'', 1997
Antique Farm Tools*
{{Commons category, Dibbles
Gardening tools
Farming tools