Topic: how to get a cane into heavy clay

[strawberry1]

My soil is heavy clay and try as I might, I could not get bean canes in deep enough today. I tried making holes with a metal post but it was hard work and they were not wide enough, so my poles are laying on the ground. I wet the soil before I left to see if it will help tomorrow. Is there a tool that might be useful?

[Ian Pearson]

The ideal tool is a railwayman's bar, but they are hard to come by these day. A crow bar does the job, but involves bending. However it does sound like you need to do something about your soil. Tell us more about it. Has it been walked on?

[raisedbedted]

The first tool I would go for is a pair of safety specs, so easy to be pushing on canes, hear them snap and fall face first.

Other than that I agree that if its too hard to get the canes in then its going to be a bit hard for the poor beans, a few days rain may help otherwise its soil improvement time.

[Digeroo]

I would suggest digging a hole with a trowel as deep as possible and then filling it with water several times.  Then getting a wooden stake and hammering it in.  Then water round it.  Then pull it out and replace it with the cane.  Suggest getting your canes in sooner, I always seem to leave it too long and the soil has set like concrete.

[BarriedaleNick]

I am on seriously heavy London clay but can normally get canes in.  If the push from the top it doesn't help - grab the canes low and push from there as it stops them bending and they are less likely to break.  I have had to resort to making the odd hole every now and then and I have some metal poles which you can hammer in to the ground and then replace with a cane..  They are the sort of poles that have a pointy end and a u hook on the other - used for marking out temporary areas - difficult to describe and gawd knows where you can get them.  I got them from the ground staff at work.

[ACE]

They are called road pins Barrie. Get them from any builders merchant, usually by the bundle, they can be very handy for hanging netting etc. But if you need a single one just see a builder and give him a drink. I welded a T piece to a bit of re-bar and as it is like barley twist it can be wound into the ground.

[strawberry1]

yes that particular patch has been walked on just for picking and is solid, the most part of the allotment is raised beds. Fluffy on the top level but still impossible for me, now on my own, to get a cane far enough down, the site can be very windy so the beans need staking well. I like the tips on here and have managed to find something called a pry bar, which is just what I want and will be useful for lots of things. I have a metal road pin but it was no use at all, it went down eventually but the hole formed was too narrow and compacted further down. I can use a lump hammer with the pry bar and it should work

I put the beans in root trainers at home, no sign of them yet anyway

[Robert_Brenchley]

A crowbar and a hammer usually does the trick. Anything that'll make the hole for you.

[BarriedaleNick]

They are called road pins Barrie.

Cheers!  So that's what they are called..  Handy to have a bundle of them on a plot!

[strawberry1]

My new pry bar arrived and is absolutely fantastic. Solid heavy metal, 20 inches long. Thick enough to make a hole wide enough for the canes and tapering to a nice hard point. There is  an anvil on the top for bashing. Wow, it took me ages to find out what to call it, what a  good tool this is going to be. I will get the canes in easy now. Also good for prying out anything, strong roots, stone etc