A substantial hardwood handled garden dibber of some age - we think in between the wars. This beast of a tool has seen a lot of action from the D handle to the iron metal point. Full disclosure - at some point some filler has been added into the handle where presumably there was a split or some wear. The handle however is perfectly fine.
You can dib to your heart's content with this beauty and it will last for many more years - a real treat for a serious gardener with an appreciation of older tools.
Size: Length is 48cm, weight 1.2kg.
The Garden Dibber
Dibbers (or Dibbles as they are called in some places), in various guises, have been around since the Romans, and probably even earlier. In around the 1400's they were brought up in a number of horticultural publications, and in the 1700's progressed from a hand tool to a long handled tool used by farmers in mass plantings. The hand tool comes in various sizes from small to allow seed planting to large that allow the planting of bulbs. The larger Dibbers usually have a wooden handle (either D or T type) and a metal end piece or spike. The deeper the hole needed, the greater the need for the metal spike as it will brush aside any small stones as it is pushed into the soil.
Did you know that the comedian Lee Mack once donated a dibber to the Lawnmower Museum in Southport, which is very close to where Phil from Moody Mabel grew up!
Remember when using to get your hole to the correct depth. If you over-dib (yes we made that phrase up) you may end up with a bulb planted too deep or a seedling with air under it's roots. Neither of these scenarios are good for your plants. Happy Dibbing.
Why not take a look at our other vintage garden tools while you are here - this is a constantly changing collection.
