An Offer You Can't Refuse From The Man's Toy Store!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

I'll be honest. I often think of this place as "my second home." If it's the weekend and the sun is out, you'll probably find me milling around somewhere in the North Natomas Home Depot.

Heck, I'm there so much that most of the employees know me by name. Now that's bad.

Are you addicted to this place as much as I am? Do you find yourself going into the Home Depot with a suit and tie on during the work week just so you can get a jump start on that weekend project? Could you shop the drip irrigation section blindfolded? Do you know more about what they stock at your local Home Depot than the hired help?

If you answer yes to all three questions, there's no denying the truth: you're just as addicted to this place as I am.

The fine folks at the Home Depot want to reward you for your customer loyalty in the form of a $100 gift card. Could you spend $100 at Home Depot in five seconds? You've come to the right place, because the blog that is Sacramento Vegetable Gardening is presenting an offer that you can't refuse.

Are you ready to win?

Here's the catch: No money is required. However, you must do two things for me. First, you must click on this very special link HERE. Secondly, you must leave a comment at the bottom of this blog telling the fine folks at the Man's Toy Store why YOU deserve a $100 gift card. The link will take you to the Home Depot Garden Club, where you will find all sorts of useful ideas for the yard.

Am I shilling for Home Depot? You Betcha! Am I getting paid? NOPE! I love this store THAT much, even though the North Natomas branch will ANNOY me to no end by refusing to stock simple items like the Phillips Pan Head 10 X 1/2 metal screws in packages of 100 or more (I hope someone from the North Natomas store is reading this).

Those screws, you see, are essential for building planter boxes pictured to your immediate left. I have about ten of these in the yard now -- set against the fence line. Everything in this box, from the wood to the screws to the drip irrigation to the soil -- came directly from Home Depot. They even cut the wood for me! You can read more about these easy-to-build planter boxes here.

Home Depot is also one of the best places I've found to purchase soil amendments for raised planter boxes. I learned, from experience, last year that brand new planter mix for planter boxes isn't going to cut it. That soil might be brand new, but it still needs various amendments like a bag or three of steer manure compost purchased from the Home Depot for a buck a bag.

Venus and I amended each and every planter box in the backyard this spring, including a test bed in the side yard, using about 40 bags of steer manure compost. Yes, you can say that gardening "smells." It also results in whopper sized tomatoes, radishes and other good stuff from the garden.

So, if you think you're the one for that $100 Home Depot gift card, remember, click on this LINK. Then, leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. You must do both. And, by clicking on this LINK, you can also get valuable information about your region, gardening advice from pros and updates on local gardening events.

The wonderful wife that is Venus will draw the winner on Monday. Good luck!!!

43 comments:

Rosa Fus said...

$100, When hubby comes home from Iraq he will be living at Home Depot in order to even make a dent in all the projects that I have planned for this new house I purchased while he was gone. Home Depot is the greatest, love going there and how they always help me.

Unknown said...

Well, I don't deserve the gift card but my most wondrous husband does. Seems like every spare minute is spent building houses for chickens or fencing for garden so we can continue to feed our family.

Fred Hoffman said...

I hope the Home Depot ploy to offer gift cards is more successful than their ploy to answer garden questions. I joined the Home Depot Garden Club last March, and over the last three months, have asked three garden questions via their e-mail "Ask An Expert" service:

"... we have experts on hand to help you with all your gardening needs. Email your question and get a reply within 24 hours.Ask an expert now."

I'm still waiting for a reply, any reply. They were easy questions, too.

Unknown said...

I would love to get a $100 to be able to expand my 1 small garden bed to at least 3-4. I am a Disabled Army Veteran and Mother of 4. After taking care of house and kids their is usally no money left for the things I enjoy doing that included gardening. I believe that every mother deserves something for themselves and this would be something I would enjoy tremendously!

Nels said...

I actually have to stop myself from going every weekend, but alas as of late, I seem to go everyweekend of composted steer manure and potting mix. I find the West Sac store to be a nice store with few customers and the North Natomas store to be pretty reliable, but second choice to shop. 10 bags of potting mix and 50 bags of composted steer manure will use up a 100 gift card.

recycler562@yahoo.com said...

Hi Bill - your blog is great reading & my husband & I both love shopping at Home Depot! We have a new project planned of replacing a water wasting lawn with raised beds for vegetables & fruit. That gift card would sure come in handy to get the project started!

Thanks for your consideration

Linda
recycler562@yahoo.com
The Veggie Patch
The Great Sunflower Project
Project Laundry List

Sherry Barker said...

My garden is getting waterlogged from all the rain and I am afraid I will have to REPLANT most of my seeds and I sure could use $100 to buy more seed, since I am 65 years old and living on a small pension from social security! I depend on my garden to provide food for the winter months!
Sherry

Tracy said...

I guess I don't really deserve one. If I won I would use it to buy random things like a foldable step stool (since I'm so short), drawer knobs for the kitchen, and a tool box to put makeup in (Because makeup train cases cost at least $90 but there's a tool box at Home Depot for $30 that has a tool pockets that will be repurposed as brush pockets and it has moveable dividers).

dave said...

Even though I have to drive an hour to the Home Depot in Yuba city, I seem to make it there three or four times a month.
Hey Bill, there's a case of Modelo
in it for ya! =)

DaveJ

Anonymous said...

Hello Bill,
I am a tomato maniac also, lol. I would like to enter to win your $100 home depot card. I spend lots of time there!!! I agree with ya, knowing more about where stuff is than some of the employees. I sure enjoyed the music on your blog. Keep up the good work.

Tammy
San Jose CA.

infamousesco said...

If I win I can finally do some landscaping in my yard. It looks turrrible.

Robin of Newstead said...

Why do I deserve the $100 card? No real reason, except I really, really want it. I'm usually there weekly spending money anyway.. and it would certainly make the summer a little brighter after having my heirloom tomatoes come down with the tomato version of the plague! Besides, the birds, squirrels, bunnies and bats that live in our NWF certified natural habitat backyard could use another small pond.... Would it seal the deal if I include an adorable pic of an imploring baby bunny?

joefosho said...

Hello there fellow members of the dirt brigade. I really enjoy gardening and am really into organics right now. I would like the $100 gift card so that i may continue may quest of growing my son his first foods. I have a 8 month old baby boy who is just starting out on solid foods. I would like to be able to feed him fresh home grown food all summer(except bananas) Its harder and more costly then i ever would of thought so every penny count.(10,000 pennys would count alot)

Jenn's Cooking Garden! said...

I deserve to win it so I can make a Happy Fathers day for the hubby! He luvs new tools and he can help me in the garden! I deserve it because i will Share it :)

Brenda Berry said...

My goodness, its gender bias! I need that 100 dollar card to prove that Home Depot is NOT The MANS toy store! Let me prove it to you! Watch what this fiery little redhead can do with 100 bucks in that place! Now, we all know what the men will do with $100 from Home Depot-they will head straight to the power tool section, and ponder over watts, volts, and what makes the loudest racket to make wifey think he is doing something clever in the garage! A LADY, on the other hand, will acquire magical things from the depths of Home Depot, will find them on sale, then will quietly and mysteriously make FOOD appear on the table, fresh from the garden, and let hubby THINK he did it all by himself! Let me show you how its done, gentlemen-then you will know the secrets your lovely wives are keeping-or at least we will let you think so.......in either case, there is a great homegrown meal in it for you-you will see! Let the ladies come play in your store, men-you need us-admit it!

Kaydee said...

I'm a brand new gardener and I have been paying my "new gardener tax" heavily this year. The $100 gift card would certainly help me continue the trial and error (and more error) that will help me eventually suceed.

Unknown said...

Wow-- I love the blog and have added it to my favorites. I would love to have the gift card. I have just started gardening in hopes of helping to feed my family. As a newbie, there are many things that I do not have. I would love to build a raised bed and purchase seeds for the winter garden. Might be able to squeeze in a few bags of streer manure to help with my clay soil. Even if I am not chosen I am glad that you introduced me to your blog. You have great information about growing veggies in Sacratomato. Thank you,

Jane Dickey

Rose Alene said...

Hello Bill; Well, you accomplished two things. I finally signed up for a blog and joined the Home Depot Garden club...plus enjoyed your blog. "Man's toy store" bah humbug. Women have just as much fun in there as men. I could camp out in there for a whole day happily.
By the way, my husband says when faced with two unidentified pipes, turn on one line and then put a stick on the lines, one at a time. Put the stick up to your ear and you can hear a vibration in the one that is on.
Rose Alene

FrickzPicz said...

SOoo ya, i am a huge jerk. For mothers day i called my mom, but i didnt get her anything. She had told me she wanted a Wii Fit or a gift card to home depot. I went to get her the Wii Fit just to find out her rich neighbors got it for her.

So basically i was supposed to get her the Home Depot Gift card. Well now i waited to long and am constantly broke. Help me be a good son again and send me the gift card!!

Jesse

Phil R Monic said...

Home Depot is the place I go for all my building materials. This summer's projects include building a play structure, sand box, 2 fences, and a patio.

That money will help a lot

Josh Jordan said...

This would be a huge help for my fiance and me. We're about to move into a new home, and there's so much we could do with $100! Nothing complicated, of course, because I'll just end up ruining everything.

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

I'd love to have the gift card to help me redo the paths in my white garden and my biggest perennial border. Drip system pieces of course, and then--well, there's always something!

Unknown said...

$100 could come in handy I can finally get the wood I want to make my raised garden and to keep critters out. I still have alot of open space in my garden. I am also a member of the HD garden club and besides the wood I can buy more garden tools that I really need and other garden essentials. I always get great customer service whenever I go to the local HD and there are 3 of them within 15 min drive. The GC could help me alot cause I am living on a limited budget. With the GC I can finish my spectacular garden that I have already got great comments on. I could also buy some stuff for my bf too that he could use. The rest of the GC could be used for next years garden or even home decor items.

Unknown said...

$100 could come in handy I can finally get the wood I want to make my raised garden and to keep critters out. I still have alot of open space in my garden. I am also a member of the HD garden club and besides the wood I can buy more garden tools that I really need and other garden essentials. I always get great customer service whenever I go to the local HD and there are 3 of them within 15 min drive. The GC could help me alot cause I am living on a limited budget. With the GC I can finish my spectacular garden that I have already got great comments on. I could also buy some stuff for my bf too that he could use. The rest of the GC could be used for next years garden or even home decor items. OH yeah HD is not only a mans store I see alot of women that shop there too.

Unknown said...

Great blog Bill. After buying my first home in the foothills near Sacramento it seems like I have been at Home Depot every lunch hour, night and weekend. Having always lived in apartments I am finding I don't have anything and there is SO much to buy. I'd like to start a garden but don't have any shovels, rakes, tools, or any supplies really. Also just need seem power tools for around the house and more. Things I always took for granted that my parents had I find I don't have. There are so many things you only have to buy once in your life but it crazy you have to buy them all at the same time. Take care.

dansquest2005 said...

If I won the $100 it would be like getting 50% off because everytime I go to Home Depot it costs me $200. If I don't win the $100, do you have any free stuff or coupons. A 50% off coupon works for me. If I go to the local Home Depot would I get a deal on one of those John Deere tractors out front if I tell them I am a friend of Bill. I like Home Depot, it is the work after being there that is not much fun.

Anonymous said...

Now who says Home Depot is a mans store? Us ladies love Home Depot too. After all, we are the ones who usually make the "honey Do" list. A *100.00 gift card would go right towards our project of building raised garden beds for our kids in wheelchairs. They love gardening too.

seedlady said...

bill, it was great to see a face to match to the posts on tm. and if byron wins, could i have his card, please? grin!


i enjoyed a happy hour wandering around your blog. my backyard looks nothing like yours. i have a budget of 2 dollars a year, so i just build with what i can find.

every year, i get a note from the city that i need to upgrade my front yard, and every year i pour used starbucks grounds on it in hopes of sprucing it up some. perhaps some bark and a rosebush would cheer them up if i won.

Anonymous said...

I would love the opportunity to spend $100 at Home Depot! This is my first year gardening, and as a novice, I still need to invest in more tools and supplies for my garden. I started this garden to save money at the grocery store as we live off of a teacher's salary...but then I've quickly come to realize that I have fallen in love with gardening. Thank you for the opportunity to invest in our favorite store, Home Depot!

moe_farms said...

Bill, I live close 100 from the nearest one. i haven't been to this one but when i lived out east when often. I could use so much help with getting the sheet rock in the house finished plus raise the raised beds to help my back. I am on SSI which doesn't cover much more than the monthly bills. I would also have a reason to go to the 'city'. From the middle of no where South Dakota
Virginia

Kylee Baumle said...

The Home Depot store that was nearest to us closed a couple of years ago, but luckily there is another just a few miles away. It seems like they carry many things that the other similar stores don't, which is great.

My husband is a wonderful do-it-yourselfer, which has saved us so much money over the years and Home Depot is a great place to get needed materials.

We need to put up some railings and also fencing, so this card would go a long way towards providing what we need to do it.

Thank you for having this giveaway!

Unknown said...

I don't know whether I deserve it or not. I do know it would come in handy. I actually never visited home depot often aside from occasionally helping my dad. However today I spent a couple hours at the Natomas location looking at all kinds of equipment (BBQ, lawnmower, appliances, window finishings, trees, landscape ideas) because I am closing on my first house in 1 month. It is a new construction house and the backyard is a blank slate and it all seems a little overwhelmign. I know this would really come in handy for me.

Anonymous said...

$100? I am a master gardener working as a volunteer with a middle school that I could help to redesign and refill their raised beds.

The kids had a volunteer build them raised beds that are in a shaded area and I would like to get them some larger beds in the sun, and fill it with higher quality soil. $100 would start to get us there... Chris Reid in Stamford, CT

Roya Rose said...

Shit in a bag for $1.00? I think you got robbed:)

My husband lost his job in January, and now is a stay at home dad with our two kids under 3. They spend a lot of time in the garden making trellises out of old fences, and trying to reuse what we have in a new way.
A $100.00 home depot card would get us the tools we need to finally build our chicken coop! It's the next step to truly sustainable urban farming:)

Unknown said...

I don't deserve the card, but my beautiful wife does as she does all the gardening. My three son's and I just created a veggie garden for and I know we could use the $100 gift card to make mama happier. After all...when mama's happy, everyone is happy!!

Thank you!!

TryingToKeepItTogetherGirl said...

I need that $100 gift card. My grass has weeds all over it and bald patches. I need to get some weed killer and some topsoil and some grass seeds to fix this pathetic lawn. Maybe a little lawn fertilizer too. I will probably need some garden gloves to pull out some of the larger weeds. When my colleague went on vacation, I killed her plant so I need to get a plant to replace it. I have a black thumb but hoping to change it to a green thumb.

Unknown said...

I just introduced my three year old daughter to gardening over the weekend. She loved going to the nursery and looking at the various plants. She also enjoyed painting the clay pots after being introduced to the craft idea by her daycare provider. We planted vegetable seeds, cacti, ferns, strawberries and tomatoes. My son, now 15, has a green thumb at a very early age. He loved to get deep into the soil and look for the richest soil in the yards. he believed that is where all of the worms lived. He also loved planting, even to this day.

Unknown said...

$100 bucks at Home Depot could put a nice little dent into my front yard garden project! With hubby and I both being state workers, the 10% pay cut has put a damper on our garden plans, so every little bit helps!

Garry said...

bill - i would LOVE to have the $100 giftcard and could put it to some very good use.

Lets see, what could I do with the gift card?

1. i could buy enough 2x4 redwood to finish the top of 2 of my raised beds.

2. i could buy a good number of fence posts to continue building my fence along the back property line.

3. i could buy almost 20 1 gallon plants of carpet manzanita to plant in my yard - its drought and deer tolerant.

4. i could buy a ton of pvc to extend water to the remaining parts of my backyard - i still drag a 75 foot hose to the back for cleaning out the boat.

5. i could buy a whole-lotta sacks of quikcrete to finish the edge of my drive way.

6. to sweeten this up, i will leave it up to you - Bill, to select the project the gift card enables - AND it will be chronicled on my gardening blog - http://eldoradogardening.blogspot.com/.

in short - i have, what i believe, plenty of justification for the $100 card. it would definitely be used wisely.

Gizmo said...

Hey Bill, I love your blog and often visted. The music is fun too!

I'd love a $100 gift card from HD as I am there at least once a week. Love their garden centers and all the helpful experts in various departments throughout the stores who always come to my aid.

I'd use the $100 to upgrade water saving drips in the yard or use it towards a water saving toilet.

Mary-Anne

Carol Moss said...

I have lots of projects that need funding. Please put me into the drawing! Thanks Bill!

Dylan said...

I just moved into my first home, it's been sitting vacant for the past 3 months. The term Moonscape can be used to describe the yard: a lot of rocks, boulders, pebbles, gravel and inhabited by millions of spiders and ants. I've got big plans for the yard, both front and back and would like to start on the vegetable beds in the back asap!
Carrots and garlic and beans, oh my!

Anonymous said...

I was going to come on here and explain how I need to win the money to expand my garden or build a chicken coop as I want to start raising urban chickens. I figured I would read others reasons first and did so. I hope Carmen wins it as any person who serves this country desreves too. If I get drawn you can forward it to her.
Greg
Greg