Shopping List

2-in-thick rough-sawn cedar lumber for four 4×12 beds — McCoy’s Building SupplyMcCoy’s carries the exact 2×6×12 rough cedar, delivers lumber loads to 77385, and can be asked to cut the short ends and posts; see the full ordering, delivery, and call checklist. All four beds go in ONE builder order/delivery: the Main bed at 24 in, the Acid bed at 18 in, the Berry Bed at 12 in, and the Acid Bed #2 shell at 18 in. Buy rough-sawn 2×12 or 2×6 cedar in 12-ft lengths; include 4×4 cedar corner posts cut to 26 in, 2×4 or 2×6 cap rail, and stainless or coated exterior structural screws—plain steel stains cedar black. Materials for all four beds are roughly $600–$1,000; the alternative was about $1,600–$3,600 to have a cedar builder do it. Cedar beds run about $400–$900 each, so all four from one builder visit lands in that $1,600–3,600 alternative. Precut kits (~$120–$180 each) use 5/8–3/4 in cedar that bows visibly within 2–3 years at this depth; a conscious short-life tradeoff, not recommended. Hiring the builder raises this line above the DIY checkbox total. The Acid Bed #2 shell is BUILT NOW with the others but parked under cardboard + wood chips; its soil (~2.7 cu yd acid mix) and plants (2–3 more rabbiteye blueberries + a strawberry edge) are a FALL 2027 purchase, not now. Follow the step-by-step bed build guide. 6×8-ft 8-mil black poly tarpOne tarp does double duty: a folded strip cut from a corner sandwiches between the flush bed end walls as a moisture break (edges buried, kid-safe), and the leftover covers the soil pile. See the bed build guide for the flush-joint detail. ~$15 Yardistry 10×10 cedar pergola kitCreates the permanent shaded garden structure for the NE lake corner. $1,399 Concrete form tubes ×4Forms clean footings for the arbor posts. ~$60–$80 80-lb concrete bags ×12Fills the four arbor footings. ~$60–$72 Uplift post base anchors ×4Secures the arbor against wind uplift. ~$88–$140 Hot-dip-galvanized bolts, ties, eye bolts + 12-ga wireWeather-safe arbor connections and grape supports. ~$120 Back-of-house gutter installGet 2–3 quotes; typical installed seamless aluminum runs about $8–$15 per linear foot. One downspout at the west corner feeding the rain barrel. The back of the house has no gutters today—barrels and the diverter connect after this gutter exists. ~$300–$800 EarthMinded rain barrel diverter kitRoutes downspout water into the barrels without overflow. ~$40 Rain barrels ×2Two 55-gal barrels hold about 110 gal—half of one summer week for the beds. Their main job is rainwater for the blueberry acid bed; tap plus drip is the summer backbone. ~$100–$200 4-ft levelChecks beds and arbor work for level and plumb. ~$25 String line + line levelMarks straight, level bed and arbor lines. ~$10 Tape measure, speed square, gloves, eye protectionMeasures accurately and protects hands and eyes. ~$60 Post-hole digger OR half-day auger rentalDigs the four arbor footing holes; choose one. ~$60–$90 rental WheelbarrowMoves soil, compost, concrete, and mulch. ~$100 Shovel + steel rakeMoves and levels bed mix and path material. ~$50 Hose + wandGives new plants a gentle, targeted watering. ~$40

Champanel grape potted vine — New Earth NurseryHeat-tolerant grape for training over the arbor. ~$22 7-gal Smart Pot fabric potHolds the grape while its permanent spot is prepared. ~$12 FoxFarm Happy Frog or Coast of Maine potting mix, 1–2 bagsWell-draining growing mix for the potted grape. ~$25–$40 Worm Gold Plus worm castingsAdds a gentle nutrient and biology boost. ~$25 DYNOMYCO granular mycorrhizal inoculantHelps new roots establish around transplants. ~$25 ~40 strawberry crowns for OctoberAbout 30 for the Berry Bed (Sweet Charlie + Festival) across the whole bed October → May, plus 10 for the Acid Bed lawn edge. Sweet potatoes are cut from the bed plan; if ever missed, two 15-gal grow bags on the SE patio edge (slips in May) — NOT part of any bed. ~$30–$45 3 rabbiteye blueberries, gallon-size or larger — Climax, Premier, BrightwellThree compatible varieties for the first Acid Bed; cross-pollination; plant October 2026. Acid Bed #2 gets 2–3 more rabbiteyes in fall 2027. ~$60–$90 Softneck garlic seed bulbsPlantable bulbs suited to the mild winter. ~$15–$25 Cool-season greens seed — lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, sugar snapsStocks the fall and winter beds with reliable crops. ~$20 1015Y sweet onion transplants for JanuaryShort-day onions timed for the Conroe growing season. ~$15 Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed 2-3-1 liquid fertilizer — gallonThe house liquid feed: 1 oz/gal weekly for the hungry crops (tomatoes, peppers, berries). ~$59 1 rosemary plantGoes at the lake-end corner between the two acid beds, in ground or a big pot — never inside the acid beds (wants lean, dry, non-acid soil). Blooms Feb–Mar right when blueberries do; bumblebee support. ~$15–$25

Topsoil + finished compost by the cubic yard for the raised beds, target 70/30Makes the main raised-bed growing mix for the Main and Berry beds; ask for 70% topsoil and 30% finished compost. The Acid Bed uses the pine-bark/peat mix below; Acid Bed #2's soil is a fall 2027 purchase. ~$300–$500 delivered Pine bark fines + sphagnum peat for the Acid Bed onlyCreates the acidic, airy medium blueberries need; do not spread it in every bed. This fills the first Acid Bed now; Acid Bed #2's ~2.7 cu yd acid mix (~$120–$170) is a FALL 2027 purchase. ~$60–$100 MulchCovers bare soil to hold moisture and suppress weeds. ~$40–$80

Arborist wood chips for the paths via ChipDrop (getchipdrop.com)Makes inexpensive, weed-suppressing garden paths. Free Neighbors’ bagged leaves in Nov–DecSupplies the carbon material for the leaf-mold pile. Free