I thought it might be fun to start a series on my favorite garden tools and things! As I’m sure you know, fall is the time to plant your spring flowering bulbs and I’ve been planting tulips, daffodils and alliums. The general rule of thumb when planting bulbs is to plant three times as deep as the bulb is tall. This means that most of my daffodil and tulip bulbs are planted about 6 to 8 inches deep.

So far this year, I’ve planted about 80 daffodil bulbs around the house and my favorite tool makes it so much easier! This bulb auger attaches to a household drill and drills right into the soil to make the hole for your bulb.

A few notes on the auger:

  • I find that I still have to use my narrow spade to pull out some of the loose soil before placing my bulb in the hole but it’s still way easier to get a deep hole.
  • If the auger gets “stuck” use the reverse switch on your drill to pull it out!
  • I’ve found this size works for me for all my bulbs but they do make different sizes and lengths for different bulbs and needs.
  • Be careful! There have been a few times where the torque caused it to twist my arm and I felt like my wrist was in danger of breaking!
  • I use a cordless drill and haven’t had any problems with needing more power.

This is a tool that really only gets used during the fall bulb planting frenzy but it’s worth it to save your back and sanity! And come spring you will be so thankful that you were able to plant so many gorgeous flowers!