A 12-inch auger works well for installing 5-Gallon Grounders™, especially if it is fitted with a depth control leg that ensures that each hole is 7 inches deep, even if the ground is somewhat uneven. I took the “teeth” off my 12-inch auger and sharpened edge of the auger flighting. This gives a clean hole with a flat bottom. If the holes are made 7 inches deep, the top ring of the side ledges with holes are in contact with the surface of the soil and the rest are below the surface. With the ring of loose soil around the holes, and with rain, soil will infiltrate back around the container and fill any voids. Augering works best if the containers are spaced roughly 2 to 2.5 feet in the row and the rows are 6 feet apart. I have also modified a single shank lister plow for installing 5-Gallon Grounders™. This was accomplished by cutting off the 2 sides so that it was about 11 inches across. Then, I welded flat steel plated to both sides. When pulled through the soil, it leaves a trench at the depth you choose and about 11 ½ inches wide. The 5-Gallon Grounders™ fit into the space nicely. After all of the containers are placed in a row, soil is pushed back into the trench between the pots. This works well if the containers are spaced roughly every 2 feet in the row and the rows are 4 or 5 feet apart.
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