That's a big stump! I would start with the shovel about 1' or 2' out, when you hit a root, take a saw or lopper and cut it or if not too big use the shovel to cut it. I'm sure you can get it out.

If you have an axe here's how to do it.

1) Rake/shovel all the rock out of there
2) Take the axe and chop a circle around the tree approximately 12-18" away from the base, chopping through the roots.
3) Chop another circle 12-14" outside the first circle, again, chopping through the roots.

Yes, this will dull the axe but I keep an axe just for this purpose and for cutting out squares of St. Augustine sod...working in soil. Works a whole lot better than initially attempting this with a shovel....

4) Use a spade shovel to trench the soil out between the two circles as you chop the roots out.
5) Once you have the trench dug out about two feet start tunneling the soil away back toward the base of the tree.
6) Once you've tunneled back in 6" remove all the dirt you can from the trench and then use a garden hose with a pressure nozzle to work further back toward the base. Once you've loosened enough soil from the roots you should be able to start rocking the tree until it's over enough for you to chop the final roots.

You would not have known to do this but it would have been easier if you'd left another 3' of the tree intact. The higher your leverage the easier it would have been to rock/pull the tree over....

Tom

thanks for the advice. Is there a tap root that grows downward or are all the roots growing laterally?

I've been told they have a tap root but to be honest with you I've never removed one. The info I provided was general info you can apply to the removal of any tree under 25', the inner and outer circles may be moved out based on the size of the tree and the existence of surface roots but the principles remain the same....

Tom

Hi - IMPE, papaya 'trunks', no matter how big, are so soft you can chop right through 'em w/ a small hatchet in practically no time.

& if you let nature take its course, that should decay away in a few months...

When you cut them, usually the center is hollow, or soft.. they are mostly water anyway, and will rot out from the center when water accumulates in there, shouldn't take too long for them to rot away naturally.... I had several that died down from the freeze, and cut them below the dead area, they should put new growth out from the live part.... I cover the top with foil and a tie so water doesn't get in until it hardens off.... sally