Vintage Potato or Bulb Planter - Dobbins Manufacturing Company, South St. Paul, MN, Elkhart, popular IN

Vintage tube style potato or bulb planter made by the Dobbins Manufacturing Company. The planter works by first driving the wedge-shaped tip into the ground by pushing down with your foot. After the tip is in the ground, by pushing forward, the planter simultaneously opens a hole in the ground and allows a seed potato or bulb to drop into the hole from the tube. A spring then closes the tip when it is pulled out of the ground, letting you move on to wherever you want to plant the next seed or bulb.

The planter has wear but somehow the paper label on the front has survived. The label says "Dobbins Manufacturing Co. North St. Paul, Minn Elkhart, Ind. around the outside and "Super Bilt Dobbins Metal Ware".

I don't have any potatoes or bulbs to test it out; however, this would be a great rustic decorative item for your home!

The planter has an adjustable handle - when at the top position, it is 32 5/8 inches long and 13 inches wide, including the "foot" that extends to the front. The mouth of the tube is 4 3/8 inches across at the top.

The planter has wear from use and exposure to the elements but is in good shape overall. The handle is painted red and the planter is green; however popular, some of the green and red paint has worn off over the years. There is rust in some areas - the tube is galvanized steel and the silver galvanized color can be seen under the green paint that has worn off. The label has some pieces that have worn off but is still legible. There is a dent at the top of the mouth of the tube and a couple welded repairs where the foot is attached to the planter. As mentioned, I am not sure if the planter is complete - one question I had is how you would keep more than one potato or bulb from falling into the hole - maybe they were just dropped down the tube one at a time? In the last picture, I pushed down on the "foot" to show what the tip looks like when open.

Let me know if you have questions - thanks!

Free pickup in Minneapolis, either in my front yard (near an exit off highway 94) or near the Lowry Ave. bridge on the NE Minneapolis side - please contact me for details!