The raspberry bushes that I planted a couple of years ago are finally big enough to need support to keep them from laying on the ground. Last year I bought t-posts and wire to do the job, but I put off doing the work, week after week, month after month.
I'd never built a fence or even put in a fence post before...I had never even watched anyone do it. That's probably why the procrastination...I just didn't know the proper way to do it. I could have asked someone or looked up the procedure online, but no, I had to re-invent the wheel.
My tools were a shovel, an axe (because I didn't have a sledge hammer), and a 30 lb. pry bar. The soil was way too hard and rocky for the shovel and the pry bar to work. So I hauled the hose over and filled up the small holes I had created with water. After a few minutes the water had softened the soil in the holes a little so I picked up the pry bar again. By applying pressure and twisting and turning the bar I was able to create a little round hole about four inches deep in the mud. I then lifted the pry bar as high as my arms could reach above my head and with all my energy drove it down into the hole. I was standing in the perfect position to then receive a mouthful of mud as well as mud in my eyes, hair, face, clothing and even down my neck. Taking a moment to recover from the shock and spit out some of the mud, I resumed my work and actually had some success. Believe it or not I put in SIX fence posts that way. I figured I was a muddy mess already so why not continue?
The next day I was telling my sister, Rosalin, about my fence post setting and she happened to mention a tool that Jack has called a "post driver." She suggested that I borrow it. I did, and was able to set the next six posts in about 20 minutes...no mud involved!
I'd never built a fence or even put in a fence post before...I had never even watched anyone do it. That's probably why the procrastination...I just didn't know the proper way to do it. I could have asked someone or looked up the procedure online, but no, I had to re-invent the wheel.
My tools were a shovel, an axe (because I didn't have a sledge hammer), and a 30 lb. pry bar. The soil was way too hard and rocky for the shovel and the pry bar to work. So I hauled the hose over and filled up the small holes I had created with water. After a few minutes the water had softened the soil in the holes a little so I picked up the pry bar again. By applying pressure and twisting and turning the bar I was able to create a little round hole about four inches deep in the mud. I then lifted the pry bar as high as my arms could reach above my head and with all my energy drove it down into the hole. I was standing in the perfect position to then receive a mouthful of mud as well as mud in my eyes, hair, face, clothing and even down my neck. Taking a moment to recover from the shock and spit out some of the mud, I resumed my work and actually had some success. Believe it or not I put in SIX fence posts that way. I figured I was a muddy mess already so why not continue?
The next day I was telling my sister, Rosalin, about my fence post setting and she happened to mention a tool that Jack has called a "post driver." She suggested that I borrow it. I did, and was able to set the next six posts in about 20 minutes...no mud involved!
