By Ron Stultz
2 February 2006
Summary: all dirt taken out of hole must go back into hole around post.
Suspect everyone who has ever dug a post hole and planted
a post knows this but going to put it down in writing just in case there is one
person who does not know.
There is only one secret to planting a post into a post hole and that is, all the dirt that comes out of the hole must go back in. How? You have to use a tamp (heavy metal rod with a spud on one end and a round knob on other end, which is the tamp) or equivalent and tamp the dirt around the post in small amounts. You cannot just dump all the dirt into the hole and then try to tamp it all back in there. You have place the post into the hole, put some dirt into the hole so you have about the same amount all around the post and then tamp down the dirt in around the post. Once the dirt in the hole is tamped, you add more dirt all around the post and again tamp away until all the dirt in the hole is nice and tight. You continue this until every last bit of dirt that came out of the hole is back in the hole. Work, yes, but the post will stay where you put it if you put in small amounts of dirt all around the post, tamp and repeat.