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  • From: "Casey & Teena" <cm62547 AT windstream.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] digging lots of holes
  • Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:54:56 -0500

This is where age and past injuries come into play, what may cause one person no problem, can rip someone else's body apart. Even things that you may have been able to do easily a few years ago, may cause problems today. For longevity in this business you have to be willing accept physical limitations and adapt.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Abner" <wizard1 AT ctsbroadband.com>
To: <castens AT nepower.coop>; "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 4:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] digging lots of holes


hmm if you are planting standard first year seedlings the size for planting
with a dibble bar it would seem like a post hole digger would be way
overkill. I did forestry contracting for years plantting short leaf and
white pines. I averaged about 1200 seedligs a day with a dibble bar. if you
are useing it properly useing your foot on the little side step to push it
into the soil and pulling it back and forth with the handle to open the hole
you shouldnt hurt your shoulder with it certainly not with 300 seedlings.

Mark


-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Errol
Castens
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 3:40 PM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [Market-farming] digging lots of holes


Richard wrote:
In a few weeks I will be planting about 300 Christmas trees. For the
past 7 years, I have been using a planting bar, essentially a wedge on
a stick, which is the common way to do this chore. But every year my
arms and shoulders are ruined for about a week after, and this year I
am going into the season with a damaged shoulder, and am hoping to
avoid using the planting bar. I have thought of a gas-powered
post-hole digger, but have never used one. For those of you with
experience using them, how practical this would be to use to dig 300
holes 10-12 inches deep in sandy loam? Is it likely to be as onerous
in its own way as using the planting bar? Anybody have any other ideas
for tools to do this?

Errol replies:
Having used a one-man auger before, I went to rent a tractor-mounted
auger when I was about to plant 100+ blueberry plants, but the rental
place in my town did not have a tractor-mounted one available. Instead,
they rented me a skid steer (Bobcat-type) machine with an auger on the
front. It did a great job, was easy to line up and didn't require
twisting around to get a rear view all the time.

One MAJOR caution, though: If you're not already comfortably adept with
such a machine, think twice unless you're on pretty flat ground. The
skid steer felt a little unstable on my hilly land, and when I was on my
next-to-last row I backed just a bit too close to a gully and rolled the
machine. Neither it nor I was hurt, but all kinds of bad things might
have happened. And it cost me another $150 for the tow truck that the
rental place suggested to upright the skidsteer. If anybody ever
complains about the price of my blueberries when they start producing, I
may just smack him! :)
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