I suppose it depends on your soil conditions. The two times I have done have been in heavy clay soils and it worked both times.
This infers digging. I really don't like digging. I naturally want to dig a slit trench and have to be held back.
I can never recall seeing a farmer use concrete to set a post. The pea gravel is a great idea for packing around it although we always just used the earth we took from the hole. $75 a day and a case of beer for a two man auger and the friend to hold the other side. 10 minutes a hole unless what you are digging is back fill from a construction site and then all bets are off.
I use a hybrid of this with gravel and quickcrete as it is cheaper than using all quickcrete but also works better in areas that are sandy/loamy as you get more holding action. The downside is you don't get to reuse that gravel.....
Not sure how good mixing concrete and pea gravel would be. Aggregate in concrete needs to be rough to properly lock in and give strength. Pea gravel is too smooth. I could see layering pea gravel and concrete so that you have concrete bands/collars.
Fair point, I don't use pea gravel. I use cheap gravel but essentially very similar to what you do. Most of the concrete on top but enough falls in between the gravel and just kind of locks it in wellNot sure how good mixing concrete and pea gravel would be. Aggregate in concrete needs to be rough to properly lock in and give strength. Pea gravel is too smooth. I could see layering pea gravel and concrete so that you have concrete bands/collars.
I haven't sunk any posts as deep as you but I usually use cheap gravel for the base and up the sides for drainage and then use a single bag of concrete around at the top of the hole as a collar to hold things in place.
I used to Rep the expanding foam stuff and its really not for areas with the possibility for frost. Its a midwest America development for shall we say NON Nova Scotia topography. The foam stuff does not sell well in Canada.
This is like a lot of stuff sold here. Made for California but lets sell it in Canada where it gets to -40 and its made of plastic which will shatter.
The only thing I would add is this can require a lot of gravel fill. I do something similar, but use the concrete forms (the oversized cardboard toilet rolls) with the post in it with gravel fill, then fill in around it with whatever soil/clay came out of the hole.
