So, you agonize and compare prices, quality, features, necessity, etc. You ask yourself: "Do I realy need to get this new do-hickey? Will this thing really make my gardening life easier ?" "Is it worth the money?" And then you go for it. But, as they say: You Pays Your Money.......and You Takes Your Chances!

UPS arrives, delivers goods........ Oooh, the excitement!!!! Give it a whirl............Uggh! " On second thought..........this ain't all it's cracked up to be!!!! " "Who the heck designed this thing?" "I coulda invented somethin better with duct tape and a fork!!" X-(

[u]Good News:[/u] Flame Weeder arrived. Hubby's in love! (again) It works great!

[u]Bad News:[/u] Compost Aerator, which was supposed to make it easy on yours truly to "aerate" pile, so I didn't have to do the ole "lift & turn" with fork......well.....let's just say that 25bucks that's gonna get refunded!! Sendin it back! More trouble than it's worth. Rather invest in a really good "specific" compost fork. Even if I hafta just jab the darn thing in and twist it a little, it'll be better than trying to use that aerator. If you've got a pile that isn't 3/4 to completion, forget jabbin that thing in! Arrgh!!! And here I am tryin not to set myself back.....I've been such a good girl (so far ] ).

OK, so I set the stage. Now the Question: Have you ever bought somethin for the garden that you were all hepped up over.........only to put it to use and be so dissapointed and regretted you ever got it?
(I guess this goes for plants, too. Been there......Done that, too... )
gardenz

No, never.



John

Yep, the plastic and pvc pipe hoop house I spent days creating just can't hold up to the wind we get. But I can't tear it down yet, my little seedlings are in it, but it definately needs replaced by a heavy duty greenhouse that doesn't flop in the wind. All those hours and I don't know that the plastic will survive the winds...$30 maybe wasted

The compost bin dh built using a plastic 55 gallon barrel. He built it on a 2x4 frame, built it so it could turn, but once we filled it, couldn't turn it at all as there was no mechanical crank to leverage it around. I couldn't budge the thing, so it basically became a "sit there and rot" type compost bin. When we moved, we left it sitting in its spot. $30 wasted

The bouganvilla plants I bought one year were a total failure. They grew thorns nastier than the nastiest climbing rose thorns. Couldn't go near the plant without getting stabbed. Then it got so cold that winter, they all died. $50 wasted.

The stupid weed mulcher/blower. Gotta drag it around in your hands with a bag attached that collects all the leaves. Gets way too heavy to hold as it fills. Very noisy, and we wanted it to mulch leaves, not blow them. If the leaves are wet, clogs the end. Tried using it for a season, gave up and stuck it in the shed. 7 years later moved to new house with lots of DRY leaves, thought I could use it as a way to get all the leaves out of the bushes. Pulled it out. Wouldn't work (maybe spiders left webs inside?). Wasted $40.

Wedding rings. :x Got married, bought his and her rings for ceremony. Put rings on. Husband took his off next day 'cause it is hazardous to wear rings and work with machinery and chainsaws and such. Wife wore hers for 2 weeks, discovered allergy to gold and got horrible rash that itched and looked like poison oak/ivy rash. Rings stashed away. Decided all jewelry is a waste, but still drool over emeralds and sapphires, but never buy such things.

Now today I went and spent over a thousand dollars (tax refund)! Bought the kids a big pool, bought dh a CHIPPER/MULCHER! Now we can have all kinds of fun making noise and driving the old folks next door crazy ] I think this will be a fantastic investment. Got a Craftsman, about $600, and it will save hauling all those fruit tree trimmings to the landfill. Instant mulch. Yeah!

My chipper/shredder.
Bought floor model, marked down to $199. Had all kinds of grand plans. Hubby and I finally fired it up about 6 months later and the noise was horrible! Bought ear protection. Noise made molars ache. Haven't touched it since. Trying to figure out a way to make it into a garden ornament-

$199!!!! WOWOWOWOW!!!
that IS a great price!
i thought i did well on mine. it was $450, w/ $100 rebate from teh city (they give it on 15 units per yr to reduce landfill). homedepot was out so i talked them into giving me a 10% discount on the floor model. but your deal w/ much better! they are noisy, but w/ ear prot it's worth it to stop teh stuff from going to the landfill & get the good mulch for yuor walkways.

Keli sell it if you don't want it. Should be able to get the $199 back. Little to expensive to fill with dirt and plant in.

Yes these things make A LOT OF NOISE, check to make sure nothing in the knife assembly is bent and that the knife shaft is tight.

Keli--I agree, and it (the shredder) makes more dust than anything else. Ear protection, eye protection, heavy gloves, dust mask. I look and feel like an alien in the garden. Also the composter that's supposed to elimanate turning and make compost in 14 days, just makes dried up strings. I didn't know you had to water it every day.