Lowe's staff cut 3-4'x 8'x 3/4" sheets of plywood into 16" strips and I cut 2-3 treated 2"x 4" x 10' boards in thirds and made points on them for support stakes (I knew 9 sections would not reach across the full width of the backyard, but I wanted to test my design). Using an old 2"x 8" board as a straight edge and a "sharpshooter" shovel, I dug a narrow trench about 6" deep along the north edge of the drainage ditch.