Sunshine Mix #4, bales of the stuff. Last year I bought a bail of straw to try out a mulching idea in one area, this spring I plan on planting right through it. It might not look pretty but if it keeps the weeds at a minimum I'll be a happy camper.
I might have to order another load of driveway chips for my paths, propane bottles for my weed torch and more Reemay cloth. So far we seem to have missed the big snow storms, the little we had from the other day the rain has washed away, COME ON SPRING.

Annette

I buy vintage garden tools whenever I find them. Even though they are metal with wood handles they have withstood the test of time and I find they are the strongest, most reliable tools to use. I've had some of my hand tools for over 10 years and with regular use and careful cleaning and storage at the end of the season they are the best out there. Bypass pruners are another story.

I usually buy a bag or two of potting mix each season and use the plastic bags for trash after pruning, weeding or general cleanup. I also buy at least two bags of perlite to lighten up my potting mix, a bag of lava sand to add grit, nutrients and minerals to the mix, and some peat for acidity. I have a 30 gallon trash can in the corner of my potting shed that I keep filled with my "home brew" of potting mix so it's handy when I need it.

Hubby makes all the compost that we use, so thankfully we don't have to buy that. I guess the thing that I really like to buy is bark chips for pathways. When I replace the chips in my pathways I usually have to get about 20-30 bags. Fortunately I only have to replace paths every 3-4 years. Before adding new chips I go over all the paths and rake the dessicated chips and throw them in the flower beds. Then go back with a shovel and remove about 2" of the soil that resulted from the chips breaking down, and spread that in the flower beds as well. It's beautiful stuff, rich and brown and smells as clean as a mountain breeze.

Ditto what Annette said - Come On Spring!

Cheryl

I will be buying lot of Miracle grow potting soil. I also pick up my better garden tools at Auctions. And this year going to buy dump-truck load of washed river rocks. To put in paths and close to house. Paint to paint fence along flower beds.

Way, way too much mulch, but it has done wonders for my clay soil, the roses and other plants love it! :)

This thread will be so interesting! I buy 3 yards of mulch , and 2 yards of mushroom compost. I love ( I know it's weird) the smell of mulch! I also buy lots of gloves, because I lose them and am afraid spiders will get in so I prefer to use new ones.
Cmk, I dont know if you have sears nearby, but their craftsman hand tools have a lifetime garantee , so if they break or bend, they happily give you a new set . Even without a reciept since the logo is on the tools . I try to buy only theirs for that reason! I especially like that warranty for my garden hose.

Oh great...you guys reminded me I keep meaning to spread bark mulch down on the beds, lol. Every year I say I am going to do it but then forget or can only find the red stuff on sale...

-lilyfinch, I never even thought of that. I'm going to have to check out Sears craftsman tools once they get them out. Or do they sell trowels and shovels year round there??? As you can probably tell, I am not a lady who is up on what tools are available etc. lol!
I can understand your spider phobia. Last year I had a terrible scare when I found a HUGE spider (seriously, the abdomen was plump and about 3/4 of an inch wide!!) sitting in one of my sandals on the back step!. A sandal I was about ready to put my foot into I might add!!!! Sorry to say that is a true story! ;-D
CMK

Going to get more solar flood lights. They are great when power goes out. Got them mounted high to keep from getting buried in snow.Had freezing mist last night.

compost/river sand mix. We have purchased about 15 tons of it (I am not kidding) in the last two years. There is a constant pile on our driveway, but it was needed to loosen clay soil in an area of the garden that had little soil health. Compost is the next, I purchased other types of compost because I don't have a manure hauling vehicle or a place to put the poop right now.
Lastly is probably potting soil and hardware. Since I build a lot of structures for my garden: wooden beds, shelves on the fence for seedlings, next up are coldframes with hydrolic hinges I am always at the big box store buying stuff (and picking up more bags of potting soil while I'm at it).
I can't wait for the day I can generate all the compost I need on my own!!

In the last few years I've been doing more containers so have bought increasing amounts of Sunshine mix #4. Three bales last year up from my usual 1 most years. I never reuse it so it gets added to the beds. I'll check the prices at all the places that carry it this year as there was quite a variation last year.

Had been increasing the number of bags of alfalfa pellets but didn't have to buy any last year as still had some from the previous year when I had bought about 15 bags. It's my main form of fertilizer/amendment other than compost.

This year I'm hoping to find a source of good quality shredded bark mulch and will get in a large truckload early as want to make paths as well as mulching my entire garden.

Without a doubt it's bales of pine straw. I don't know how many large rounds I buy each year, but it's a lot. I use it for mulch and to cover paths in the garden and along side of the house.

I, too, buy the big rolls of pine straw. So glad a new place near my house carries that. I "grew up" on bark nuggets, which is what my parents always used, and my 81 yr old mom still uses. But I just can't handle all those bags. I like the pine straw it is so lightweight and spreads easily. I also buy gloves becoz mine always get holes in the ends of them. I have a little plastic box that snaps shut and I keep my gloves in there so no spiders can get in. I rest my garden clogs in a vertical position and tap them before I put my feet in! Once had a giant spider hiding in my watering can. He came running out when I was filling it at the rain barrel.

I don't buy a lot of anything for the garden...I'm a cheap gardener. LOL My son picks up bark chips free from the town. A friend delivers bags of aged horse manure (and even takes the bags to the backyard for me.) I trade seeds online here on GW and WS lots of containers. One big bag of potting soil suffices. I only go to the garden center a couple of times during gardening season (mainly just for fun) and I try to limit myself to a plant or two I can't live without. That being said, I would like to buy a lot more small decorative trees and shrubs. That is what I hope to concentrate on this year. Oh yea, just remembered, I bought six clematis last year. HE HE HE

Nature's Helper soil conditioner - as an additives to my clay soil and as a mulch - love it!
~Natalie

I kept going back for large bags of this soil called Bumper Crop that our nursery sells, I have a composter, but it is never enough and this stuff is a mix of compost, manure and alot of other organic nutrients.I have lots of clay, and this helps balance it.
roseberri

Arches...which I have all over the garden.
{{gwi:634695}}From Lavender's Garden

And roses :) {{gwi:47437}}From Lavender's Garden

Sorry! Missed the 'no plants' part, so I guess I should have just said arches...but I do miss all the flowers. Is it spring, yet? LOL

Topsoil! We live on a rocky hill and when I have to plant something, I dig out rocks and fill the holes with topsoil. I get as many broken bags at half price as I can find but it seems like I always need more. Good thing it's cheap!

Lots of free compost and wood chips from the city, so that helps. We have quit buying bagged cypress mulch, the wood chips look the same anyway. Mushroom compost only every two or three years. Only one big bag of potting soil in the spring, sometimes one more in the fall if they are on sale. I don't keep a lot of potted plants.

This year's big expenditure will be a pallet of Arkansas stone to use in paths, but that was my birthday present. Since my birthday was in December when I couldn't work outside, I won't get it until spring.

Sandy

I'm looking forward to seeing that stone path, mosswitch.
Same here- dirt. I find it entertaining that gardeners buy more dirt than anything else!
Renee

I feel like I buy potting soil and mulch continuously. It's almost become a joke now... "I need more dirt." I swear I don't know where it all goes.

Anything and everything to keep the deer away.
My wallet is empty and the deer's bellies are full!

Mulch and compost. I wish I could mulch with straw - it would be so much more affordable - but the high winds in this area blow everything except the largest bark chunks away. I live in a very arid climate with clay soil and anytime I plant anything it gets a layer of compost topped with a thick layer of the bark mulch - to help improve the soil and retain moisture. Periodically I pull back the mulch to add more compost. I have a compost bin but don't generate enough compost to make that much of a difference.

I buy about 6 or 8 new pair of gloves every year. I might wear 3 different pair in a day, because they get wet with rain and dew, and I can't stand putting on a pair of wet gloves after having a break. With regular use, they only last about a year.

I also buy mulch and aged manure by the pickup truck load. Last year was a record for me - probably about 10 pickups worth. (I lose track.) I mulch all season, whenever I can get around to it. There is always somewhere in the garden that needs mulching. I consider it the secret to my success, it feeds the soil and keeps the plants happy.

I never buy topsoil. You can take any old crappy soil and if you generously apply aged manure it will improve any soil enough to keep plants healthy. Of course, you have to keep applying it every year though.

And plants, of course, blow my budget every year on them . . .

Ha ha gottagarden, I do buy several pairs of gloves every year. Seems like I always wear out the right one, or lose one. I have a whole box of left handed gloves (just in case I need one).

I wish I had just any crappy old soil so I wouldn't have to buy topsoil, but I got rocks. No amount of generously applied aged manure can improve them much! So I guess I'll just keep buying bags of soil to put in the holes I need to plant in. I do amend that, tho.

Oh yeah, the plants. My budget is already shot for those, and it's not even February yet. Dang.

ICY HOT AND ADVIL!!!

mosswitch, turn some of those left hand gloves inside out and make pairs. It may not look as nice but generally works well
for me.

I buy compost manure for the manure to supplement my own compost. Wish I lived closer to my brother's farm where I could get aged manure free.

"ICY HOT AND ADVIL!!!" Heh heh.
Brilliant idea, mnwsgal. Thank you.
Renee

I used to buy so many pairs of gloves every year (inexpensive ones), that after calculating how much it actually costing me, I made a decision to invest in $10 plus gloves - they do last much longer, keep my hands cleaner and dryer, and overall end up costing less and doing more.
Budget? What budget? I prefer to forget how much I actually spend on soil amendments and plants - it saves me money on headache and anxiety medications.

Garden decorations---new, used, antique, whatever! It's like an addiction. I don't know what to do with everything! : p

Natalie, would love to know what brand you've bought that lasted. I've used Atlas gloves and they sometimes last 2 years.