hmong cucumbers, I bought them because in the picture they were a like a regular cuc but dark red, I thought that would be really cool in a salad, they didn't turn out that way. They are a burnt orange and yellow and look more like melon, I haven't tasted them yet though.

Neat thread!

A lawnmower. We really don't have a lawn anymore in the back, and the push mower worked perfectly fine for that anyway, and I'm in the process of covering up the front lawn with raised beds, so that lawn won't exist anymore in a couple weeks either. It was a total and complete waste of money. Wish we'd kept the box.

Peat pots. I learned they were environmentally unstable after buying them :( Also, they're not as convenient as you'd think.

Plus, there's all sorts of reusable food containers that can double as transplant containers, and they're free!

An expensive, tow-behind tank sprayer, $600 from Sears, for spraying fruit trees. Sounded good in theory. In practice, it was hard to use, always getting the hose tangled up around the wheels, tended to clog up no matter how careful I was not to get foreign matter into the tank, hard to start, and so forth. Pitched it all, now I use little, $8 hand-held hose-end dial-a-spray type sprayers, and I'm much happier.

I regret not buying an earthway seeder earlier. I am so happy I did buy it. I can plant stuff so fast, I almost dread the soil prep as I can plant so quick! I am sure any seeder works well, I went with earthway as that is the one I borrowed and used. In addition, it was on sale!

I regret not buying a tractor. I have seen several that have been good prices, but I passed on the deal. Kicking myself, at least I still have the $$ I would have spent.

Jay

I regret my Mantis cultivator tiller. It's a good little unit, but an unnecessary engine. A low wheel cultivator with oscillating stirrup hoe does the same job as well and faster without burning gasoline. The Mantis was sold on craigslist this spring

I also regret my Compostumbler. Unless you chop everything up into tiny pieces, use activator, turn it daily, dance a little compost dance, and make a ritual sacrifice to the worm god, you'll never make compost in two weeks. It makes good compost, but isn't worth the cost of purchase vs. just making a pile. I sold it a couple years ago.

Finally, I regret buying a "cheap" tiller. Once I bought my current tiller, I realized fast that you get what you pay for. My current one cost little more used than I paid for my first one new, but it was worth every penny!

My first mini tiller was a Troybilt. I fell prey to advertising. What a bunch of junk! It was virtually impossible to start unless you held the entire machine up in the air and got its wheels going really good before letting its dainty feet touch the dirt. I finally bought a Honda mini tiller and love it as much as I hated the first one.

Early on in my gardening years, I bought alot of inexpensive hand trowels. They were murder on my hands, wrists and arms to use. My one ergonomic Corona trowel has lasted for years and makes all digging chores a snap. It is worth it to buy good tools: pruners, trowel, shovel, pitchfork, garden rake, and a wheelbarrow with a lifetime wheel.

Regrets, I have a few...

I regret(ed some time ago) buying cheap hand shovels.

Shovels, regular and hand type, and a good study still rake are my major gardening tools. I also have a good pruner.
My biggest current regret is buying a Sears chain saw.
The bar on it is so thin and cheap that it will get crooked.
I should've bough STIHL for $100 more.

Municipal "compost" - only one load tho - stuff was oily, lots of grass seeds and who knows what-all. Took 2 seasons for it to "go away" courtesy worms etc.

I bought a used electric chipper/shredder to shred the leaves (OPBL) I collected last fall. The collection bag was a PITA so we just shredded the leaves inside a new raised bed box that we hadn't filled yet. About the 3rd or 4th time I used it, a rock was hiding in the leaves. When it hit the blade, it shot through the metal side and the shredder never worked again. I finished with the blower/vac that we already had (I think I forgot it would shred leaves too).

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

A Yard machine from Home Depot. My older Kemp shredder (circa 1980's) was beginning to have "new part" problems. The yard machine was Ok for dried wood, but jammed immediately with anything green.

We make every effort to keep the old Kemp going - and it just keeps perking away, but the Yard "thingie" is gathering rust. Come and get it!

Bejay

One of my biggest regrets (garden and otherwise) was the Troybilt I bought in 2001. Nothing but a disapointment no matter what I tried, and I gave it lots of chances.

Finally made it right by purchaseing a large Craftsmen tiller. Will expand the garden from 4000 to 6000 sq ft this fall so it will get another good workout before winter.

My recent regret was zuccini. 3 plants was 2.5 plant too many. I think even the chickens are sick of them now.

Cathy

Why didnÂt I think of posting question? Although, I keep think to myself. Several expensive regrets:
Not planning properly what to plant ahead of time.
Buying Jeggy pellets, not labeling my seedlings.
Buying 3 Earthboxes without proper research.
Planting way too many vines. Especially Chow ChowÂdoes not produce fruits in my zone at all.
Totally dissatisfied with the whether we had (rain, less humid)Âthis I have not control however.

Very neat postÂbrought down my stress level little down.

One regret is a personal one. Not knowing anything about gardening, I started out with a small bed and fenced it in. Then expanded to another bed and fenced it in. And on and on.

If I knew what I was doing and how far I was going to expand, I could have just fenced my property and been done with it instead of numerous small fenced areas with gates, etc.

Speaking of fences. I regret buying plastic fence instead of metal. The rabbits gnaw through it. It also buckles under the weight of wet snow.

I also regret using cheep stamped out T posts from Lowes instead of the heavy duty solid cast T posts. The stamped out posts break after a season...if I am lucky. Ditto for the light duty green plastic covered stakes sold at Walmart and Lowes.

Also regret buying my first 3 fruit trees from Willis Orchards online...pretty much $180 wasted.

And not to forget the bird netting from Walmart that is impossible to get on and off the tree or shrub.

Lots more regrets, from when I first started to grow stuff. In the beginning almost every other decision was a mistake.

-peat pellets online instead of real jiffy pellets (they were old, crumbly, and weren't spongy-- they stayed soaking wet)
-expensive heirloom carrot and cauliflower seeds from Seed Savers-- expensive, tiny amount of seed, and NONE sprouted. Seed was labeled as being packed 6 years ago!!
-ground cherry seeds (EWWWWW!!!!)

Borage. I bought seed, thinking, "Oh, an herb I haven't tried!" Every blessed seed sprouted, the plants got huge, and although it is supposed to be a bee magnet, when the darn things finally flowered our honeybees ignored it and went for the sage! I pray it isn't perennial.

marlingardener, borage is an annual but I hear it self-seeds easily...

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

Yas - borage DOES that - but it's probably best to grow it in an arid type climate - sparing the water. I feel for you, and maybe I'm the one that "turned you on" - because I felt sorry for all those posts about "no honey bees" that I kept reading awhile back.

Sorry - however, it makes great chicken feed, and the flowers are edible too, they say.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay.

P.S. Of course, if you hadn't planted sage --------

These are just nits: a flat hose with tiny holes that were supposed to water a couple of rows, a flat hose made of canvas that was supposed to soak a row and those silly wall-o-water things.

Neighborhood cats always seem to find my square foot garden boxes and poop in them after I just added more compost and turn them under for a winter garden. . . grrrrr....

Buying Cheap handtools - are #1 on my regret list. They just aren't worth it.

On the other hand....
The best thing I have done lately was take a 2 hour composting class with my DH and ended up with two units for free. I hooked them together and made a big bin. I have all ready completed one batch of compost and am loving it. I have an easy to use area that makes great use of all those extra clippings and yard waste that always ended up in green waste can. Now I actually find myself looking for bags of leaves and other such goodies I can make use of...
Gardening is way to addictive!!!

bgrow - Whenever I dig up and start to work a new garden box, especially after adding compost or manure to it, I place a piece of chicken wire over it. We also have skunks and raccoons who love to dig in soft dirt for grubs.

I have made cages to fit my boxes (9 now - yes addictive it is), and they really keep all of the critters out whenever I don't want them in. The cages are made of 1/2 inch PVC water pipe, with wire on the outside.

When the plants are bigger, I can remove the cages. The birds then are allowed in to clean out any bugs. The only critter that they don't keep out are the lizards that have adopted my garden, but they are great bug eaters. I see little damage from them.

It would be impossible for me to grow anything without protecting my precious seedlings otherwise.

Bejay

I dont regret anything. after several compliments from family and neighbors, I think that was the most important key.
Yes, beans had some bug holes, didnt plant enough onions, Potatoes were a big hit, I fed cabbage worms, planted way too many green beans. corn had bugs. Peppers were slow coming. and Im going to do the same thing next year. Guess im happy im able to pull weeds, vote and belch. God bless!

Seeds. Every year I buy dozens and dozens of seed packets. I have a plastic bin filled with hundreds of seed packets that I will probably never plant. I also regret my half hearted "experiments" every year that I abandon after a few months, but only after I've invested hours of my time.

A passive, thermal vent opener for my hoophouses. Since I use them Dec. 1-Apr. 1, it is unneeded. It is much more important to have uncovered soil - no mulch - inside, to get decent thermal moderation. I never got it out of the box.

One of those stupid plastic 2-wheel carts that are supposed to be like a wheelbarrow. It was awful. We have a real wheelbarrow now and it is much, much easier to use.

Edie makes me want change the thread to: what did ... that you loved? And first and foremost is the no-flat wheelbarrow tire from Northern Tool. I used to have several flats a year, and I could not fix them myself. Every time it was trip to Belle Tire. I love that tire even though it is lime green.

Just have to say a great big YES, INDEED! to both the comment on the plastic wheel/wagon replacement thing for wheelbarrows (worthless)
AND
the KUDOS for the flatless wheelbarrow tire. I got mine this year and it's GREAT!

My little blue utility tractor w/a bucket and tiller--New Holland TC24. Literally, it does in minutes what used to take me days!!!

Brook