![]() I weed eat and mow a general area around the stake which marks the burial spot, then I lay out my template, which is about 90 inches long by 36 inches wide, and look to see if more space is needed and if any difficulties or hazards need to be addressed or removed. With tools gathered, and hopefully a ready and willing digging team, I am now ready to begin the work of clearing the space around the grave. The chainsaw is mostly in case I encounter extremely large tough roots, so I don’t use brand new blades (cutting into even a small bit of soil can be dangerous, and will quickly dull chainsaw blades, and can gum up the inside around the chain blade housing). For clearing the area around a grave, I also bring at least 3 large tarps (6 if I am expecting rain), a lawn mower, weed eater, chainsaw, loppers, and pruning shears. I also bring along a garden rake, an edging tool (basically a flat “blade” with a six to eight inch cutting surface at the end of a long handle), and a grave template which gives me a set of dimensions from which to dig the grave. Even if you don’t own a post-hole digger with measurement markers, you can make your own with a yardstick and a permanent marker. I rarely use post-hole diggers for actual earth removal, but I do have a pair with markings along the handles which I use as a depth gauge. A rock bar (also sometimes called a spud bar) is useful when large, heavy stones or significant rock shelves are encountered. A pick/mattock is indispensable for breaking up tough roots and clay and some rock or stone deposits. Step 2: Gather the ToolsĪ good sharp spade is the primary digging tool, but there are many other useful tools for digging. Depending on the weather conditions, I may also need a tent to put over my work space to protect from direct sun exposure or heavy precipitation. ![]() If possible, I try to avoid causing significant damage to nearby mature plants and memorial plantings, so I may make slight adjustments to the edges of a grave, and even the angle of orientation. There are also 3 large piles of Earth that are coming out of the grave, which must be returned to the grave at the end of a service, and where and how they are arranged matters both spatially and logistically. It helps me to know how many people will be standing and/or sitting around the grave at the service so that I can clear and groom the area nearby. Before my shovel even breaks ground, there are numerous considerations to be made at and around the site. I think there is a general misunderstanding that we “just dig a hole”. There are a few differences in how we dig these two types of graves. This is true for both burial of a body and burial of cremated remains. Our goal is to reduce the impact on the Earth from both the digging itself and from the interment, and to allow for as much new life as possible to grow out of the space that has been disturbed. It is easier and less time consuming with at least two people working. It also requires a good bit of planning and the right tools. When we dig graves at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, everything is done by hand, and requires attention and care. Ha! Ha, I say! As if it were only that easy. Usually it’s done with one shovel and finished in an hour. ![]() We’ve all seen it a dozen times in the movies… Someone digging a grave.
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