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A comment from an old guy in Topeka made me rethink post holes.
I was setting a line of cedar posts for a ranch fence, using my power auger and going about 30 inches deep. This retired farmer, Mr. Jenkins, watched for a minute and said, 'You're digging them too neat. The sides are like glass.' He told me to rough up the sides of the hole with my shovel after augering, so the concrete can grip better and stop frost heave. I started doing that on every job north of I-70 and haven't had a single post shift since. Anyone else pick up a simple trick like that from an old timer?
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the_jennifer6mo ago
Actually, I need to push back on the concrete part a bit. In my experience, using concrete in a post hole can trap moisture and rot the wood faster, especially with cedar. The rough sides trick is solid, but for frost heave, a gravel base at the bottom for drainage is way more key. I just pack the hole with the dirt and rocks I dug out, tamping it really hard in layers. That old way lets the post move a tiny bit without breaking and drains water away.
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ivanl186mo ago
Yeah, that gravel base is huge (my uncle taught me the same thing). I've seen too many posts rot out when they're locked in concrete.
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lisa_brown3mo ago
Wait you just pack the dirt back in with no concrete at all? That's wild my brain can't even process a post staying put with just gravel and packed dirt. Doesn't it wobble all over the place when you put the fence panels on?
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