What’s a Dibbler, and Why Do I Want One?
In one way a dibbler is the opposite of a more familiar word: dabbler, even though the name’s origin probably converged at some point in history. Dabblers are often defined as people who do not take things too seriously. The dibbler borrows a bit of meaning as to its function from dabbling, or, dipping in and out repeatedly, originally referring to water. The dibbler, on the other hand, is something that a committed gardener can really learn to love, and, ultimately, cannot imagine having lived without. (What was I thinking? A mere spade is so… yesterday.)
The dibbler is an Australian term for a gardener’s tool that helps efficiently plant a flower or vegetable seed into the ground. Also, a tuber, small plant or a bulb. In fact, a dibbler is often called a “bulb planter”.
Dibblers come in a several shapes and designs including the T-handled dibber, the classic straight shaft dibber, a trowel dibber and, originally, a sharp pointed wooden stick dibbler used by farmers during the Roman Empire. Then, it took two Roman farmers to use the tool. One would plunge a long, sharp stick into the ground. Then, a trailing farmer would drop a seedling into the freshly-made hole and cover it with soil.
Around two centuries ago, England’s first gardening tool maker created the perfected version of a dibbler, constructed out of Sheffield sterling silver and outfitted with a wooden handle for comfort. Aristocratic though it was, the idea made perfect sense.
Now, why might you want to use a dibbler, you ask, when you could just as easily use your finger to poke a hole into the soil to make a place for that seed or bulb? Because it plays havoc with your manicure, for one thing, and because specialized tools are just so, well… cool.
Efficiency is another.
The ideal dibbler helps guide your dig in one simple motion to just the right depth for what you’re planting. If your tool has a wooden crafted handle, it’s built for comfort, and gloves can fall by the wayside while dibbling, no matter how large your garden plot.
However, if you’re unsure of the difference between a weed and a flower, the dibbler may not be for you just yet.
The dibbler is for a more involved gardener. They think differently, and are proud of knowing the organics and taxonomy of successful growing. They’re also proud of their armamentarium of tools, that they use for precisely the task for which they were intended. If that’s where you’re headed, welcome to the wonderful world of rewarding gardening at its best.
Anyway, that’s what a dibbler is, and why you might want one.
Second from left is a stainless steel dibbler, with companion natural-finish wood-handled tools that are a serious gardener’s delight to use.
