I am all for anything that makes life easier. Does it attach to a drill?

Yes. This link has some info but advices from someone who already used them will be much better http://powerplanter.com/power-planter-auger-guide/ . Helen

Helen, seeing this made my laugh! I had exactly the same idea in October when I had to dig 34 holes for my November order!!! I checked out so many websites but finally decided against it after speaking to a professional. Basically if you have loamy soil it's going to work. I unfortunately had a lot of stones - some very large - and if you hit a stone larger than the diameter of your drill you aren't going to get anywhere! So in the end I dug my 34 holes the old fashioned way - with a lot of sweat and I will admit, some tears! But I started early and got them all done before my order arrived - thank goodness!

So, if you don't have stoney soil, I would go for it.

BTW, we have places where you can hire them for a day - just to see if it works.

Sharlene

Blood, sweat,tears, a hose and a post hole digger, but normally for me, it is the first four and a spade.

Sharlene, 34 holes??? I am in awe of you. And it doesn't sound as if you had "easy" dirt, either. Where was your husband? I would have chased him with a shovel. Oops, shouldn't have said that. You must have a beautiful garden now and be in great shape yourself. Diane

Hire somebody young and strong to dig them for you. With that many holes, get paid help even if you're young and strong yourself. Colleges often have boards posting requests for workers or students seeking work. The last few years we've hired a man with a small digger, but the machine needs room to maneuver, this was in an open field, and we were having a hundred holes dug. I like the idea of renting a tool if you can find the right one. If you end up digging them by hand and have compacted ground, a pick is handy along with the shovel (spade). A digging fork is useful if you have wet clay, particularly if you're not very muscular. And be careful of your knees: I ruined both of mine by continuing to dig after they--my knees--gave me warnings of problems.

Yeah, I'm a bit of a wreck myself from over-doing it in the garden: knees, and back and one hip (though that is due to diminishment of cartilege at the joint, which may have nothing to do with over-working). But I still do everything myself; my DH isn't interested in gardening and I don't want him to do my work for me,though maybe eventually I'll have to hire somebody to help. I love my pick, but using it is very hard on the back. My dad always used to call me "pig -headed" (that is, uber-stubborn) and he sure was right...

It depends on your soil. if it's lose and no rocks, this would work. But then again, if it was you probably wouldn't need this. I find that for a new bed I turn over as much of the soil as I can and amend it and then dig holes to plant the roses. So in that case, a tiller would be more useful. I don't make my rose holes too deep, rather I make the holes shallow and wide and then mound up the soil after they are planted.

If you are small it is a lot easier to dig the holes with a drain spade.

I have, no joke, over 100 holes to dig and this topic peeked my attention. Unfortunately, I've seen these types of devices (auger I think it's called) and it works best under ideal conditions. South Florida is basically two inches of top soil followed by three feet or more of rocky land fill and then packed mud.

First, in order to get proper torque, you're going to need more than your typical drill and if you use the machine they sell it becomes too heavy.

Second, once you hit a rock instead of the auger spinning it will have you spinning instead.

What has worked for me is a sharp shovel, a pick ax, and a lot of patience. Remember to stay hydrated and wear gloves.

If you're dealing with serious rocks a pry bar is also helpful.

Helen,

We built a new home on land that was previously a small farm, and moved into it late last Spring. My house and yard is where there were horses, and I can possibly tell where they "frequented" by the soil because these areas are a joy to dig. Other areas are the usual rocky ( small to decorative size) and sometimes caliche riddled nightmare void of usable nutrients etc. We hired professional landscapers who were scheduled to begin work in mid- May, which was delayed until June, while I had over 60 roses sitting in pots brought from our previous home that I was not going to go out and manually water throughout June.... July.... if there were more delays. We also had impulsively purchased 2 fruit trees, 2 Chaste trees and a Chitalpa tree. Soooo, in accordance with the first stage plan for our yard, we started digging. Then, "we", quickly became my husband and stepson digging holes, which turned into a trip to Home Depot, renting power tools specifically for the task at hand. These power tools came in different weights and had varied attachments. If ever tasked with digging so many holes in a short time period again, a trip to HD would be a priority.

Lynn

I'm going back to bed. Diane

A post hole digger should work just fine. Once you get the hole started don't waste your energy by forcing the digger downward, just let if drop. Once you get the hang of it you can start the drop a couple feet up in the air. Then all you have to do is work the handles and remove the dirt. Once a hole is dug then all you have to do is slice off the sides of it for expansion to a larger size. Come Spring time and you want to plant a couple of small flowers you will not want to lug out the gas powered digger -- which by the way normally digs only a 4 inch wide hole for posts. The larger augers will really set you back some bucks...

You can rent most power tools. We've rented tillers. You just have to be careful with a tiller on clay. You can wind up packing down the clay at the bottom and creating an impenetrable surface.

Home, at my computer now, and just asked my husband what was used. We rented a jackhammer with specific attachments for the job from Home Depot. They had augers and other things for rent too, but our soil is very rocky, can have caliche and it was recommended. It worked well. Those initial holes were completed in a day and a half. The professional landscapers we hired used a slightly heavier duty version of the jackhammer we rented from HD.

Good luck!

Lynn

Yikes, Lynn, I hope your husband and stepson had ear protection. What did the neighbors think of the jack hammer? Diane

Ear protection, oh most definitely, Nanadoll. They did not start digging until after 9 a.m. Fortunately, the homes in my neighborhood are spaced farther apart than normal for being in the city. I also suspect that all of my neighbors are benefiting from dual paned windows and upgraded insulation etc., which would have helped with the noise.

Lynn

Check out an equipment rental place for a power auger. It's what I had to resort to when I first planted my Newhall garden. Imagine a gasoline powered post hole digger. It made short order of the hard clay and saved me a mountain of time and effort.

A little backhoe such as a Bobcat, makes short work of rose holes and digs about a 2 foot square one in no time. Voice of experience after nearly 300 rose holes on clay, and assorted rocks.

Are you saying that as a senior (or nearly, if I read your name correctly), you're outside with a backhoe, digging away? I think I need to go back to bed again. Voice of inadequacy says so. Diane

Yes, I am too old to pick up a sledge hammer and dig a rose hole. But when they put in the new septic fie next door, the guy on the backhoe was just sitting there. Not in my garden area when I can use his talent. So for the first time in his life he learned how to dig holes for large ramblers and small roses. He also dug up some huge rocks so he was well worth it.

Why, oh why, don't fortuitous occurrences like that happen to me!

You can locate one and hire him (her, it might be). That's what we did. Define your fate.