Pages

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dabbling in Dibbles



I can remember as a kid working with my grandfather in his greenhouse planting seeds in peat pots. I would use a hand made dibble that my grandfather had carved out of a piece of scrap wood to make holes in the soil for the tiny seeds. I used that dibble for many years and it became an extremely useful tool for planting. After my grandfather had passed away, his greenhouse was sold and that dibble was lost forever.

Over the years, while working in my own greenhouse, I would often grab any handy item to use while starting seeds. I have used a pencil, stick, sharpened dowel, my finger, and the list goes on. Every time I finished planting I would say to myself that I needed to make a permanent dibble like the one my grandfather made, but never got around to doing it and the following spring I would again find myself searching for any item to poke holes in the soil.


I am an architectural designer by profession and woodworker, so I finally decided to make a proper dibble for myself and started playing around with some different styles. I tried turning them out of oak and pine, and carving rounded ones out of walnut. I remembered the thick blocks of mahogany that I "rescued" from a cabinet shop many years ago that were sitting in my shop. These slabs were 2" think off-cuts left over from large job, but were headed for the trash before I saved them (I can't stand to see beautiful wood like that wasted). I was saving them to make something that would be useful and that had purpose.

I started to hand-carve some simple designs out of the mahogany blanks until I came up with one that was both economical and aesthetically pleasing.





I came up with 2 different style dibbles in 3 different sizes, each serving a particular purpose. They are each individually hand-carved and fit perfect in your hand while planting.

Pointed Body Dibbles

 The pointed body dibbles work well for planting seeds and making small furrows in the soil and comes in three sizes:

Large (1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 8") - for planting larger seeds and all round use.
Medium (1-1/8" x 1-1/8" x 6") - for use in the greenhouse or garden for transplanting seedlings.
Small (3/4" x 3/4" x 4") - for making small holes in soil blocks or seedling trays for starting seeds.

Rounded Body Dibbles

The rounded body dibbles work well for planting bulbs and also come in three sizes:

Large (1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 8") - for planting larger bulbs and all round use.
Medium (1-1/8" x 1-1/8" x 6") -  for transplanting seedlings and planting bulbs.
Small (3/4" x 3/4" x 4") - for planting smaller bulbs.

Each dibble is hand-carved out of solid mahogany and finished with natural beeswax to protect and nourish the wood. You can hold them by the top or by the body like a pencil for a comfortable grip.

I love old hand tools and am very pleased with the design and function of these dibbles. They are very high quality and can easily become an heirloom to be passed down from gardener to gardener. They are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. 

They are the first item in a series of gardening tools that I am designing and developing and are available for purchase through my ETSY store.

6 comments:

  1. How beautiful! Definitely heirlooms. I've never heard of a dibble before, but I have used pencils, dowels, and my finger before in place of one, so to see there is actually a tool that can be used for this is awesome! I love your story about your grandfather :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! My grandfather is the reason I am so passionate about backyard farming! He taught me so much!
      ~Rob

      Delete
  2. These are beauties! I don't plant that many seeds and usually just use my finger. But these would be fabulous for any gardener who does a lot of planting. :o) You should contact Dirt Couture to see if they want to sell them.
    http://www.dirtcouture.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I will definitely contact Dirt Couture, thank you for the link!
      ~Rob

      Delete
  3. Love your website, your dibbles, and your work. :) I started gardening as a small child with my father. We always had a garden. My grandmother walked with me through the woods and taught me about wild herbs and how the Indians used plants. I am so blessed to have those memories. I still plant a garden but on a much smaller scale as I am physically challenged. Another friend shares bounty from his garden for what I don't plant. My daughter and I are planning to build a greenhouse out of old windows and doors. It will be wonderful to be gardening with her. Bless you for all you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! It's the memories of gardening with my grandfather that drives my passion for growing today. He may not be here physically, but he is with me every minute that I work in the gardens!

      Delete