Concrete a Post in Your Garden

5 Steps to Concrete a Post in Your Garden

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As with laying a path, it is worth hiring a concrete mixer to help you with the job.

1. Dig a hole to the required depth and about 4 inches all round wider than the post. For most situations, a 6-foot fence panel needs a hole 24 inches deep with a 6-inch layer of hardcore in the base; a 4-foot fence needs a hole 18 inches deep, also with 6 inches of hardcore in the base. This is particularly important if the fence is to be covered in climbers or is on an exposed site.

2. Break up the base with a pitchfork and scoop out the soil with a post hole digger or shove holers. These are like a pair of sugar tongs and make picking up the soil easier; they are inexpensive to rent. If you have a lot of posts to erect, you might like to hire a powered auger, but take care when using it and make sure you wear gloves and protective clothing. Augers can be designed for one or two people or attached to a mini tractor.

3. There are two options when securing posts—you can either fill the holes with concrete, using a mix of one part cement to four parts all-in aggregate or fence-post concrete, or you can pack the hole with compacted rubble to about 6 inches below ground level, then top it off with a stiff mix of concrete that is firmed in layers to remove the air and smoothed at an angle with a wet bricklayer’s trowel. If you are using concrete, mix it on a board nearby.
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4. Add the concrete in layers, tamping it firmly around the post with a timber offcut or similar.

5. Raise and slope the concrete to allow for rainwater run-off, smoothing the surface with a bricklayer’s trowel.

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