Power Planter Augers: Digging Made Easy

Power Planter Changes Gardening Forever.

Each spring, millions of pansies, petunias and other flowering plants are carefully planted in yards and gardens to beautify homes and landscapes. The same thing happens in vegetable gardens, where millions of tomatoes, peppers and other edible plants are planted.

It doesn’t end there. Fall is the best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are planted. Planting bulbs in the autumn ensures that yards and landscapes are brightened by colorful flowers as soon as winter fades.

What do all those billions of plants and bulbs have in common? A hole has to be dug for every one of them. And that means a whole lot of time and energy is spent digging in the dirt.

“The number of holes that are dug every year is astounding,” said Greg Niewold, president of Power Planter, the company that makes Power Planter augers. “Our mission is to reduce the time and effort it takes to dig planting holes.”

Niewold says a Power Planter auger is an amazing back-saving and time-saving tool. “An auger, combined with a good cordless drill, really puts the power in planting. A Power Planter auger makes the work of digging dozens of holes a breeze.”

New Kind of Shovel

For three generations, Niewold’s family has believed that just because people have been digging holes the same way for centuries doesn’t mean we should keep digging holes the same way.

In 1988, Wayne Niewold (Greg’s grandfather) ran a family farm in Central Illinois, so he was no stranger to planting things in the ground. Wayne was asked by a groundskeeper at a local university if there was an easier way to plant flowers, shrubs and trees.

That question led Wayne Niewold to invent a planting auger, which is basically an oversized drill bit. Put a planting auger into a power drill and presto! Now you could drill holes in the ground instead of digging them.

Power Planter is Born

Niewold started making planting augers and formed a company called Power Planter. The first two sizes were a 7-inch-long auger that dug a 3-inch-diameter hole and a 12-inch-long auger that dug a 3-inch-diameter hole. Today, those augers are called the 3×7 and the 3×12, and they are still the top-selling sizes.

The Power Planter augers were made right on the family farm in Illinois, and they were marketed to garden stores and mailorder catalogs. Homeowners and backyard gardeners knew a great labor-saving device when they saw it. The planting augers were an immediate hit.

How a Power Planter Auger Works

A planting auger from Power Planter looks like a giant drill bit, because that’s exactly what it is. The sturdy metal planting augers make it possible to “dig” a hole in just seconds.

Just put the hex drill bit end into any standard power drill and tighten it up. Then use the power drill to drill a hole for the plant or bulb you are planting. Drill to the full depth of the auger. Then lift the auger out of the hole to remove the dirt. Now, simply drop in the plant into the hole and brush the dirt back in.

Really. That’s it. You’ve just dug a hole and planted a plant in a few seconds. Planting a garden doesn’t get any easier than that. That’s why the editors of Home, Garden and Homestead featured Power Planter augers in their 5 Great Garden Tools Make Yardwork Easier story.

A Worldwide Success Story—Made in America

Power Planter augers are still made on the Niewold family farm in Central Illinois using only USA-sourced materials. The product line has expanded since Greg took over the business. Farmers and professional landscapers love the longer-length and wider augers—which come in sizes up to 7 inches in diameter and 28 inches long. Homeowners continue to buy the smaller sizes.

Power Planter now also distributes DeWalt power drills. That makes the company a one-stop solution for any planting or drilling need. In addition to planting, Power Planter augers are commonly used to drill holes for termite bait stations. They are also used for real estate “for sale” signs, to install moisture probes on agricultural land, to mix compost piles and mortar, and for dozens of other jobs.

Under Greg Niewold’s leadership, Power Planter has expanded worldwide. Power Planter products are now sold in stores in the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe.

To see the entire product line, visit www.PowerPlanter.com.

This story contains sponsored content.