I got a 4 foot plastic post sleeve from Lowes, dug a hole, i guess it was about 3 feet deep by seeing the sleeve sticking up, put a little gravel in the bottom, put two bags of quikcrete in there and made sure the sleeve was level and plumb until it set. I then put the poles in. This way if the pole ever rots or spilts, I can take it out and replace it without digging another hole.