Trenching work yesterday: 10x more productive!

Dug a trench for some drainage pipe, which has taken some time. We had rented a trencher to put in the fence around the garden, but had to return it before we had a chance to dig the drainage ditch. (We also planned to dig more, to run electrical wire out there, but we'll do that with an edging tool which will do less damage to the grass -- see "Wilton Thinline Trenching Tool" on YouTube.)

So after we returned it, I used a grub hoe to start the ditch. That took forever, especially because the soil stuck to the hoe, which also didn't fit right so the metal part kept riding up the handle. I put a log next to the trench I was digging, so I could knock the dirt off the grub hoe, which helped.

Left it for a few days, and we bought a tiller. Smaller than the one we rented (which was hydraulic) but easier to move around. Tilled the left side of the garden, and planted seeds in rows -- they've started to come up!

Realized that the tiller might help dig the trench, so ran it above where we want the trench, then attacked it with a shovel. I was approaching the trench from the side, and throwing the dirt beyond it. It was back-breaking, sweat-inducing work, and I could only do it for a half hour at a time. Made slow progress.

Yesterday afternoon, for whatever reason, I decided to approach it from the "mouth" of the trench, i.e., 90 degrees different from where I was, previously. This made my progress about ten times more productive! For one, when I bite the shovel into the dirt, the dirt doesn't fall off to the left and right sides like it does when approaching it from the side. Also, the dirt remains fairly well packed, so I can lift it much easier. And, I learned to "shovel with all appendages" -- place the shovel where I want to dig in, hit it with my left foot, then my right foot, then jump up and land with both feet on it, which ends up with the shovel all the way in (about 12 inches). Then I lift and throw to the right, and then a few additional shovels-full and then I drag the loose dirt towards the mouth, before doing the next bite.

One downside -- when I hit a rock, it was almost invariably when I was jumping on the shovel. Today, my right ankle is bothering me.

It took hours to do the short part you will see in the beginning of the video. Hours, over the course of several days. In the first video I showed my progress, indicated it had taken two hours to get from the dry part to the end, and that I probably had another hour left. Turned out I over-estimated -- I was done in 40 minutes! And, although I was sweating, I wasn't panting or drop-dead tired.

I still have more work to do at the beginning of the ditch, to make it as deep as the rest of it. Spent a half hour at it today, and was wiped out, so I stopped. It's nearing completion though! Just need to get some crushed gravel, and then I'll line the bottom and sides with that, and then wrap the perforated pipe with shade cloth, to reduce soil getting into the pipe, and then dirt back on top.

It'll rain in three days so we should make sure we complete it before then.

Thanks for reading, and take care! :)

First video:

40 minutes later: