How to Install a Vinyl Gate Post

Open a post hole digger up to between 10 and 12 inches. Sink the digger's tips into the ground. Push the two handles together to remove the soil.

Dig the hole down below frost level. If your frost level is shallow, make the hole at least 6 inches deeper than necessary. Insert a tape measure into the hole to check its depth.

Reach into the hole with a garden trowel. Use the trowel to dig out the dirt around the bottom of the hole to make it wider on the bottom than the top.

Fill the hole with at least 6 inches of gravel. For deeper frost lines, fill the hole with gravel until the gate post can rest on the gravel at the appropriate post height.

Mix quick setting cement with water according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour the cement into the gate post hole until it is 3 to 4 inches lower than ground level.

Insert the gate post into the concrete. Push the post down until its bottom edge rests on the gravel. Gently tap the gate post's top edge with a rubber mallet to lower it in place.

Finish filling the hole with cement with a shovel. Push the shovel's tip into the cement to help settle the cement. Once the hole is full, use the edge of your garden trowel to slope the cement away from the post.

Place a level on the gate post's front side. Adjust the post until it is plumb. Hold the level against the post's right side and adjust the post again. Continue checking the post until you are sure it is sitting straight in the hole. Allow the cement to dry according to the manufacturer's directions.