How To Dig a Hole

This article covers the technique of digging general holes as well as the special case of deep narrow holes (post holes).

There are many ways and many reasons for digging a hole; posts, trees, graves, even defensive positions. Excluding post holes, the methods are the same, requiring the use of a shovel, an axe, hands and a lot of physical effort. Once you dig the hole, you will have to shovel away the dirt that was scooped up by the hole.

To dig a generic hole

1. Determine where your utility lines are; call your municipality or 811 (in the USA) if you don't know.
2. Determine the outline of your hole.
3. If digging through grass (sod) or other land with a fibrous topsoil, stomp your shovel blade along this perimeter.
   • Scoop under the fibrous topsoil, and put it off to one side. This is probably good, fertile soil, so you may wish to keep it.
   • Pitchforks work very well for moving compacted leaves (like you might find on a forest floor) around.
4. Continue digging by shoving the shovel vertically into the dirt and removing large bites of soil. If the soil is too hard, loosen it with the digging rod or pick.
5. When you encounter a rock, try to dig under it so that you may pry it out with the pick, digging rod, or shovel. This method also works to remove small trees or plants that are deep and difficult to remove from the ground.
6. Remove the dirt when you are done.

To dig a post hole

1. Identify the location of your new hole.
2. Pull the handles of the post-hole digger close together.
3. Accelerate the post-hole digger straight down.
4. Release the handles just before the post-hole digger reaches it's target - as if you were throwing a spear. This prevents fatigue.
5. Pull the handles apart.
6. Remove the post-hole digger from the hole.
7. Place the dirt in a convenient pile.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 until you have a hole of the required depth.

Tips

• Use a shovel with a short handle for tunnel digging.
• Sharp shovels dig better than dull ones, especially through roots and sod (grass).
• Digging through soil with roots in it is difficult; if possible, don't dig a hole near a tree or bush.
• Rocky soil takes longer to dig through; schedule more time.

Warnings

• Don't dig on other people's land.
• Call your local municipality before digging to any depth so that you can avoid hitting underground cabling or breaching excavation laws. In the USA, there is a hotline number (811) to call. Other countries will have a similar digging hotline.
• Be careful; deep, narrow holes are subject to cave-ins, which can kill.

Things You'll Need

• A sharp round-nose shovel
• A pick (optional)
• A digging rod (optional)
• A post-hole digger (for post holes)
• A bag of lime to help with decomposition