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How to dig holes for plants in hard ground?

I'm totally new to gardening. Bought a lovely town house with a small yard, garden beads. I'd like to plant all of my pot plants finally now, they are pleading to go in the ground and have more space, and a few plants that a mostly dead, awful and so ugly that need to be dug up. But the ground is so hard I can hardly make a dent in it. It's full of old roots- vines, bamboo, sea grasses and others? and I broke my garden fork (a big one) trying to take out an old plant.

Is there a special took for these tasks?

thanks so much

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Comments

EricL

Hello @AngelSsharkey

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about digging into hard soil.

It sounds like you’ve got some seriously tough ground to deal with! For breaking through hard soil and cutting through old roots, a mattock would be your best friend. It has a pick-like end for breaking up compacted dirt and a flat blade for chopping through roots. A trenching shovel or post hole digger can also help if you need to dig deeper holes for planting. Since your garden fork broke, a heavier duty digging fork or a pry bar could also come in handy for leverage.

If bamboo and vines are tangled underground, a root saw or a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade could make cutting through them much easier. And if you want to go all in, a crowbar or a spud bar would help pry out stubborn roots.

If the soil is rock-hard, soaking the area with water the day before digging can soften it up a bit. You could also use a garden auger attachment for a drill if you need to make multiple planting holes quickly. My best advice is to do a drain test on the soil once you've dug a hole for you plants. This is to make sure that the water drains in a reasonable amount of time and not waterlog your plants roots.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

MitchellMc

Hi @AngelSsharkey,

As Eric mentioned, you’ll want to make sure you have the right tools to break up the hard soil and remove those stubborn roots. But another key part of planting successfully is improving the soil itself, so your plants have the best chance to thrive.

Once you've dug the hole for your plants, you might find it beneficial to remove even more soil than you initially need. This extra step allows you to improve the soil around the root zone by mixing in high-quality compost. Adding compost not only improves the soil’s texture but also provides essential nutrients that your plants need to grow strong. It can also help with water retention and drainage, which is especially important if your soil is compacted.

If the ground is still challenging, you might want to consider using larger raised trough planters. These provide much more room than standard pots, and you can fill them with a good-quality potting mix designed for planting. This way, you can ensure your plants get plenty of space to grow, without the struggle of dealing with poor or hard soil.

Another great option is creating a raised garden bed using sleepers or timber. By raising the soil level, you avoid digging into the tough, compacted ground below. You can fill the raised bed with quality garden mix, which makes planting much easier, and gives your plants the ideal growing environment.

Here's a helpful step-by-step guide: How to build a raised garden bed.

Ultimately, improving the soil or using raised beds will make a world of difference, helping your plants flourish and thrive in their new home.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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