Tried a different way to set a gate post in wet ground and it actually held

I was putting in a gate for a job near a creek in Millville last week, and the ground was pure mud. Instead of my usual concrete, I packed the hole with a mix of gravel and crushed stone, tamping it down in thin layers. I figured it would wash out, but after a heavy rain two days later, that post was still dead straight. It made me think about drainage a lot more. Has anyone else had luck with dry-set posts in really wet areas?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorc402mo ago

Yeah, that's the trick right there... the layers. Seen it work on a few farm jobs where the water just sits. Concrete can trap moisture against the wood and rot it out faster, but gravel lets it drain past. Just gotta tamp it like crazy, every few inches.

masongonzalez2mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly @taylorc40, I've seen concrete pads last decades without rot if you slope them right for runoff. Gravel just settles and gets messy over time.

claire_gibson2mo ago

Read about a vapor barrier under the gravel.