if you have a water faucet close you can "cut" through the soil with water pressure. get one of those adjustable sprayers (i use the 'pistol grip' style) and turn the water up all the way. aim the sprayer at your outline and start cutting. makes big holes in no time with little effort...but it can be a tad messy. we have very hard packed sandy soil with some clay here too so i use this method for any holes needed as the shovel alone just can't do the job efficiently enough...and working the pick is just too much for a little feller like me...