Using an auger attached to a power drill in the garden has been a revelation to me. I was fortunate to receive a Garden Auger Starter Pack from the good folks at Power Planter. This pack includes one 2-in. x 7-in. auger and one 3-in. x 7-in. auger, and I’ve used both over the course of the last two weeks to plant up my veggie garden not just quickly but also with way less effort.

Benefits of Using an Auger

Before I tell you about these two different augers and also a bit about the other augers Power Planter offers, let me explain the benefits of using an auger.

Dig, or “drill,” holes quickly. If you’ve ever drilled a hole in wood or drywall to insert a screw, this Power Planter auger does essentially the same thing. Instead of wood or wall, you’re drilling a hole into garden soil. And instead of inserting a screw, you’re inserting a plant into the ground. No more trowels and aching wrists (that’s not just me, right?).

Just position the drill and auger right where you want the hole and squeeze the trigger. It’s fast, too. My soil is average to nearing on soft, and at the moment it’s not terribly rocky. I could dig a hole in about 5 seconds. A trowel takes way longer. As for hitting rocks — I’ve hit a few small ones, nothing bigger than a malt ball. A few times the auger would stop turning, similar to when you drill a hole and drill bit can’t go further into the wall. And a few times the auger spit them out of the way. Luckily none came flying up. But as with using any power equipment, it’s always a good idea to wear safety glasses.

A ring of soft backfill. Like sawdust when you drill into wood, the auger’s swirling action lifts the soil out of the hole and it lands circling the hole. This soil isn’t in chunks the way you’d have backfill if you dug with a trowel. I found that a slow up-and-down motion helps to move that soil up and out of the hole. When you fill the hole after planting, the soil is in excellent shape for root growth. Or, instead of backfilling with the soil, fill the hole with a mix of compost and top soil to just below or even with the soil line. When you water, that ring of soil acts like a dam, containing the water so it has a chance to sink in rather than flow away.

Loosen soil in old containers. Sometimes you can get two growing crops out of the same container of soil or fabric growing bag. Remove the above-ground growth and then drill with the auger throughout the container to loosen root s and to help make the soil loose again.

Sizing

The 2-in. x 7-in. auger is called the Garden Planting Auger & Grass Plug Tool. It creates a hole wide enough for planting veggie or flower transplants you’d find sold in 4- or 6-packs. The 3-in. x 7-in. auger is the Bulb Auger & Bedding Plant Tool that is suitable for creating holes for 4-in. pots. I used the 2-in. for transplanting some lettuce seedlings I had grown, and then used the 3-in. to plant up a bunch of individual plants in 4-in. pots. It saved me a stunning amount of time. Power Planter also offers augers in a variety of lengths and even ones for landscape professionals—up to a 9-in. diameter! Wow, that’s a lot of power.

The augers fit most electric and cordless drills, and all are made right here in the USA. Don’t’ have a drill? They sell those, too! You won’t be sorry to have this auger in your toolbox.