Soil Flat Dibbler
This project comes from:
Seth Roberts from Weathervane Farm in Buena Vista, CO
Here is the link to his farm’s lovely website:
http://www.weathervanefarmbv.com/
Title:
Soil Flat Dibbler
N
Who the project is for:
Vegetable and/or Flower Growers, Nursery Growers
Range of how much it might cost to build:
about $10
What skills are necessary to complete it:
Pretty intuitive, might need a very basic knowledge of using a drill.
Summary of the project:
The project cuts down time for planting flats of seeds. The Soil Flat Dibbler can make multiple indentations for dropping the seeds into the flats at a consistent depth.
How to build it:
The dibbler makes a 1/4 inch depression in each cell. The seeds are placed in the depression and then lightly covered with soil mix. This technique came to us from using a soil blocker that left a similar dibble. When we have our own greenhouse we want to resume the soil blocks, but for now the plastic is a bit less labor intensive.
The base of the dibbler is 1/2″ plywood. Each dibble is a 1/4″ x 1″ carriage bolt with 1/4″ lock washers and lock nuts. As you can see in the picture some are 4 washers and a nut, some are 1 plain nut, 1 washer and 1 lock nut, They are all the same dimension, but you get a little more metal for the money with the nuts. The two bolts on the edge out of line with the rest are guides.
When making the dibbles, the two guide bolts hit the outside of the flat and the edge of the base lines up with the ribs of the flat. The grid of bolts then is positioned to make the dibbles in the center of each cell. This project cost about $10. It was worth every penny in the amount of time it saves and the difference it makes in germinating seed.
Greenhouse Dibbler <– This short video shows the Dibbler in action.
How to use it well once you’ve built it:
Line up the tool with the grid of the flat and press down into the soil to create small holes for placing your seeds.
Suggestions for ways to improve it or alter:
If you make a few Dibblers and get a few people to help germinating seeds, the tool can be an even bigger time saver.
Great idea. I have done something very similar but even cheaper. Instead of carriage bolts,,,,I use pieces of dowel that have been sharpened/sanded to a dull/blunt point. A hole is drilled in the side of your dibbler pad (to a set depth,,,,not all the way through) and the dowels are glued in. And for what it is worth,,,,,rather than a pad that dibbles half a flat at a time,,,,,I make strips. The strips length is the width of the tray. Then I counter drill the holes and at the dowells at the correct spacings. I have a strip made for each flat that I use, i.e. 50′s, 72′s, 128′s, etc. And I just mark on the back of the strip which flat it is for. Works great and it is quick!
Marty
Hi, i’m a french farmer and i developed the same idea for doing my plants, but i only use a grid, wood, and this plastic http://img.over-blog.com/237×250/1/80/27/92//adelta-ms.jpg
I’m working on building this system with clay, to export the idea in poor countries.