You may be seeing a few signs of spring and start thinking about your spring-time to do list in your lawn and garden.  Here is some remodeling help with setting fence posts.

Fence posts can be set in concrete or directly in the ground.  Setting posts in concrete adds strength.  If you are not using metal, be sure to use treated, or rot-resistent wood.  This is true for all your remodeling projects for your lawn and garden.  Setting the post in a gravel bed will help with water drainage and further prevent wood decay.

Some woods are naturally resistant to decay.  Redwood and cedar have a built-in chemical resistance to rot and are often used in lawn and garden remodeling.  These materials are expensive, so if you are only purchasing them for their rot-resistance properties, you may consider a cheaper option.  Pressure-treated lumber is wood that has been coated with a chemical that prevents rotting and also deters certain wood destroying insects.

Posts you are remodeling that will be bearing weight, such as those for gates or corners in your lawn and garden, should definitely be set in concrete for added strength and stability.

After digging the post hole to the proper depth, set the post and pour the concrete around the post.  Don’t pour the concrete first and then try to push the post into wet concrete.  As the concrete begins to set-up, plumb your post and maintain its position.  Trowel the conrete so that water will run away from the post.

(Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/31500291@N05/2950144111/)