How would you dig a trench in this - tool advice please

My soil, well I guess it’s actually just dirt, is a sandy loam, right down in the bottom left corner of the soil composition triangle. We’re enduring a severe drought in the Lower Hudson, NY with no significant rain since June. My dirt is baked hard but I need to dig lots of trenches and some big pits. My regular gardening tools are pretty useless. I’m using my hori-hori to break it up and then shovel. There has to be a better way. I was thinking about a mattock or pickaxe but wanted to check here first incase I’m missing something obvious. Yesterday I visited Lowes, Home Depot and two other tool suppliers and I was really underwhelmed by what they had to offer. What I saw included a lot of plastics, mild steel and a price that made me think that they’d rather you took out a subscription because they they’re not built to last.

So, what do you suggest? I need to dig big pits for trees, some 2 ft deep drainage trenches and want something to last. I prefer wooden handles that can be replaced. Cheers.

Hi Ed;
I use a mattock and a 6' steel pick bar.
My soil is much more gravelly than yours.
A good quality mattock will serve you many years.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Ed;
I use a mattock and a 6' steel pick bar.
My soil is much more gravelly than yours.
A good quality mattock will serve you many years.

Cheers Thomas. I’ll research mattocks.

When volunteering for trail maintenance where the ground is dry, packed, and full of roots, my tool of choice is the Pulaski. This fire-fighter's friend can clear a trench in no time. Such a great tool!

Yes, a polaski is a great tool as well.
They are very similar to a mattock only a polaski has a horizontal axe head used to cut roots, and a mattock has a blunt  blade useful in trenching.
I own both but the mattock is my yard work go-to tool.

A good pulaski is a tank that powers through anything.

A narrow grub hoe is also excellent, and the long handle is easier on the back.

An unusual tool I like is this "Trench Digger" from Lee Valley Tools. Not cheap, but heavy duty and will last a lifetime.

Edit #2: Make sure you put a bevel on any of these tools. It will increase their effectiveness immensely, and save a ton of labour.

i’d also recommend watering the area you’re going to dig a few times ahead of time, if you’ve got the water for it.

I end up using a pickaxe cause that's what we have, but a mattock would be better, I think.

Carol Deppe talks about handle length in one of her books. She gets extra long handles for all her tools, especially things like hoes, so she can stand fully upright while using them. She lifts the tool, then uses its own weight to dig into the ground, instead of bending over and hacking with it. I never thought about it much until I read her book. Now that I'm paying attention, nothing has long enough handles - even for me and I'm only 5'1"/155cm. My favourite hoe is a Korean hoe called a homi. Mine has a long handle on it, almost five feet long. It's not long enough for me. So, I think your idea of replaceable handles is a good one, and you might want to do it right off the bat.

Someone on here might know which tool company she recommended in that book. You can order online.

There's a picture here of Carol Deppe's back friendly hoeing form

https://www.chelseagreen.com/2021/how-to-plan-the-best-garden-ever-tips-from-carol-deppe/

I'm a big fan of appropriate power tool for heavy jobs. Can you hire a mini-digger for a day? We hired one a few years ago and got as much done in a day as we would have done with hand tools in a couple of weeks.

Michael Cox wrote:I'm a big fan of appropriate power tool for heavy jobs. Can you hire a mini-digger for a day? We hired one a few years ago and got as much done in a day as we would have done with hand tools in a couple of weeks.

It depends on the job, but that is wise advice.

Hubby likes to buy tools, so I'll toss in my thoughts:
1. We've got the Lee Valley trencher, but in my clay soil during the summer drought, it would not have a chance.
2. I've got the old Lee Valley hand mattock. 3 Fingers on one end and a blade perpendicular to the handle like the Polaski axe pictured above. I use it a *lot*, but end up working on my knees because the handle is too short.  It looks like the recent ones they're selling aren't as heavy or sturdy.
3. So we got the hand mattock's big brother. I'm a wimp - it's too heavy for me to swing, but guys would likely find it's fine. However, I use it for levering out stuck rocks or tough roots, so I'm glad we got one.
4. We have the big 6 ft pry bar. Just "dropping" it business end down can help at times, and it's certainly important when levering out rocks.
5. We also have  a pick axe, but with the number of rocks we have, I've not found it as helpful as the mattock and again, it's on the heavy side for me.
6. I totally agree with the effect that the length of the handle vs size is important. If I was a little taller, I might find the pick ax was more useful as it is affected by the angles generated by height and arm length interacting with the handle length.

I have heavy pickaxes in the 5-6 lb. range, but find them too much for long term work, especially with those short handles. Great for breaking up concrete though.

Years ago I found a hand pickaxe in a hardware store that was maybe 2 lbs, the same as a light axe, and I mated it to a long handle. It had good steel that held an edge, and a narrower bite, and just enough mass to cut through tough stuff. I could swing that baby for hours, switching right to left to even out the strain, without looking like a Quasimodo stand-in at the end of the day. Pretty sure I bought a spare.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

An unusual tool I like is this "Trench Digger" from Lee Valley Tools. Not cheap, but heavy duty and will last a lifetime.

Thank you Douglas, that’s just the kind of tool I’m looking for. I’m also very happy to discover Lee Valley ship to the US. It’s a store I enjoyed walked around when I visited my cousin in Toronto.

I totally agree on heavy pickaxes, something I want to avoid.

greg mosser wrote:i’d also recommend watering the area you’re going to dig a few times ahead of time, if you’ve got the water for it.

I’m not sure why but I appear to live in an area that has some mystical storm deflection dome. Over the past two months dozens of storms have headed right for us and at the last minute either dissipated, veered off or split in two. It could be some kind of large river effect I’m unaware of. They mostly travel west to east over a wide section of the Hudson. As I’m laying soaker drain, I may run them over the dirt and use the diverted rain water form the roof to get things going - it has to rain eventually!

Jan White wrote:
Carol Deppe talks about handle length in one of her books.

I love her books and probably time to reread them. Thanks

Jan White wrote:There's a picture here of Carol Deppe's back friendly hoeing form

https://www.chelseagreen.com/2021/how-to-plan-the-best-garden-ever-tips-from-carol-deppe/

That looks like a great tool. I love Chelsea Green and they have a big sale on at the moment. It’s my go to online bookshop. Cheers.

Michael Cox wrote:I'm a big fan of appropriate power tool for heavy jobs. Can you hire a mini-digger for a day? We hired one a few years ago and got as much done in a day as we would have done with hand tools in a couple of weeks.

That would be a very sensible option. I’ve never operated that kind of machinery though. I could do all my earthworks in a day or two. I’m just a little wary of my neighbours . . . Doing all that in one day including digging up most of my front lawn might alienate them rather than convert them to my way of thinking. So far, I tell them what I’m doing, which normally gets blank stares or a look of disbelief. Then they see what I do and understand why I’m doing it. These baby steps are keeping them on board as I transition from asphalt and lawn to forest garden. Mind you one of them loves his power tools so maybe he’ll jump on board. I’ll have a chat . . . Thanks Michael.

Jay Angler wrote:Hubby likes to buy tools, so I'll toss in my thoughts:

Cheers Jay - always happy to read your thoughts, often amusing, insightful and helpful!
Very happy to discover I can shop at Lee Valley and ship to the US . . . Trencher tool is now on it’s way.

I wish I had something amazing to add, but the bases are really covered well in this thread.  I vote for either the pickax or the Pulaski.

Eric

Edward Norton wrote:

Jay Angler wrote:Hubby likes to buy tools, so I'll toss in my thoughts:

Cheers Jay - always happy to read your thoughts, often amusing, insightful and helpful!
Very happy to discover I can shop at Lee Valley and ship to the US . . . Trencher tool is now on it’s way.

It was a seriously exciting event when Lee Valley opened a "bricks and mortar" shop on our Island - they regretted not doing so 10 years earlier!

Now I expect a quality user-test report on the trencher from you. I keep thinking that one of these days, I'll be trenching in the perfect weather to use ours, but alas, that has not yet occurred.  One of these days, I should try it where the winter creek goes through a culvert that's collapsed. I suspect I'll discover that truly is a back hoe job (we've got one of those too - did I say something about Hubby liking to buy toys tools?) It would be nice if the trencher would do the job - quieter and less likely for chicken/duck interference turning out to be lethal.

Breaking new ground here usually requires a pick ax and a rock bar.  When using the pick ax my legs are both strong and flexible enough to hold a very wide bent knee stance.  It effectively drops a couple feet from my height so I have never hurt my back while using the pick ax.  It's not for everyone but maybe it can help some people struggling with short handles.

As an additional benefit it keeps my toes far away from the swinging blade.  

Hi,  I use a pick mattock.  I'll start making that longer handle tomorrow. Thanks all.  Also a long bar for rocks. Sometimes a hammer on a crowbar. When I was younger I had to dig an 8' deep trench.  I hit rock hard clay.  After getting almost nowhere for half a day I used an electric chipper, or chisel.  Worked like a jackhammer in concrete.  It might be possible to use a 4lb sledge and mason chisel to break up stuff you can't seem to get anywhere on.

1. We've got the Lee Valley trencher, but in my clay soil during the summer drought, it would not have a chance.

This was my first thought upon seeing it. I also notice in the picture it is being used on tilled ground. Nonetheless, if I had a chance to buy one at a low enough price, it would certainly go home with me for testing, and I'm sure it would have times and places where it would be handy. I have come to the conclusion now that any hand tool I see for sale for three or five dollars that is even slightly different from the ones I already have is worth buying. Digging tools are a good example. Digging is hard work. The best tool for the situation makes a big difference. I've found slight differences in angle, weight, length, shape. etc. can make a big difference.

Pick handles are often vastly thicker than ideal. If one is to be used as a prybar, that makes sense. If not, many can be significantly thinned, especially at the head end, and save a lot of weight. They are often too thick at the other end for all but the biggest hands as well. You can make one any length you want, but remember a longer handle will take more effort to swing. The standard handle length today is left over from the days when people dug ditches without power equipment. That handle that seems far too short would have been a much better compromise to someone standing in a ditch three feet deep chipping at ground anywhere from foot level to three feet higher. The side method shown above with the hoe is good for that purpose, but in the clay or gravel I'm used to it would not be anywhere sufficient to break unbroken ground. In the end, it's generally hard work regardless.

Re the standard length of pick handles: I think people also tended to be shorter, on average, a few generations ago.

The digging bar is a diggers best diggin friend. Use it to break everything up and then use a shovel to scoop out the loose dirt. Seriously the best. Pick axes destroy your body. The digging bar uses leverage and it’s weight helps drive it deeper in the ground.

Do you mean one of these Ben?

Digging Bar

source

That does indeed look like a great tool! Looks like it will take lots of abuse as well....(the number of forks I've broken teeth off!)

Lee Valley delivered - awesome tool. Thank you all.




Drainage / soaker pipes which will be buried under a foot of wood chip


Pit dug for chopping block

Edward Norton wrote:Lee Valley delivered - awesome tool. Thank you all.

I'm sooo... glad it worked for you. How did you find the handle length?

Glad it worked. More action reports please!

For a six-footer like me, I would prefer the handle a little longer. But it's easy-peasy to bolt the head onto a shovel handle, for example. It's on my (very long) list of things to do.

(I would kill for sandy loam): I have a sandbox. I use an electric auger to make holes for planting trees. [I'm too old for the mattock or pick axe- sometimes, your elders will have the shortcut! ] It is just a little battery operated Ryobi but you'd be surprised how quickly you would make a nice 6"hole, 3 ft deep. Rocks and roots can be a problem but otherwise, it works slick. When I need a larger hole, I make 3-4 holes in close proximity to each other and bust the in-betweens with a shovel. It works pretty slick. Just go very slowly: don't try to go full speed or you will hurt yourself when you meet and obstacle!  I would not recommend it for baked clay though , but here, it works.
For a trench, same thing except you make the holes side by side then bust the in-betweens
This is what it looks like:
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396035431
Good luck to you

I'm 70 something and missing a significant portion of my heart. Work really is work. On top of that, I and my wife are, whether we like it or not, are rock farmers.

I just built a 70' x 15' (angle shape) run for our pups.  Digging holes was less than fun. The post hole digger needed a lot of help.   My best friend was the 6' Harbor Freight bar I bought a couple decades back.  Just lifting it and dropping it loosened most the soil. Being serious with it got me down a couple feet for the steel posts for the chain link fence.

It was still hard work, but it made it a lot easier than just trying to tough it out with anything else.

For loosening up the soil to dig the pits, you might want to consider a broadfork. I have the middle-sized one ("tall", 14" tines) from Meadow Creature. It's a dream at loosening soil - e.g., getting saplings up to a few inches in diameter out by the roots. Not cheap, but really well made.
Meadow Creature Broadforks

Well, with all this good advice, your trench is probably done now. As a woman, my upper body strength is... OK
Faced with your problem, I'd take it in two steps. One would be cutting and lifting the turf. A manual one will remove the turf about 3"deep and is not as expensive as the motorized ones.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrandrentalappleton.com%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2F134055%2Fsod-cutter-manual&psig=AOvVaw0XJCwLezAOPGOazQDFVQl4&ust=1677615099987000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCKj_rrTBtv0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
After that, and if you can afford it, there is the Trench Badger: [I have not seen one in the rentals. Bummer!]
https://trenchbadger.com/TrenchBadger-Pro-12-Honda-4-Cycle-Engine_p_250.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqpCN4hsOJNhO8v2Q6DPz3qtiAAAWEOdEmxe6IbPb8FOACY7541ypdRoC4loQAvD_BwE
If you cannot afford it, do as I do: Remove the 2 outside blades on a tiller. I have a little Ryobi [battery operated, without wheels] that could really be great for this .and yes, if you can water the work site before you trench, it will be so much easier!
https://www.google.com/search?q=ryobi+cultivator+18v&sxsrf=AJOqlzXKQo-Oy-
Because the blades are curved, they act like 2 little shovels. I use mine to make trenches for potatoes [but my soil is very sandy, so I can get a row done in a few minutes] Also to loosen the soil/mulch between my garden beds when the mulch has decompsosed and can be put on top of the beds

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