• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 17, 2011

The Home Depot is getting ready for its own version of Black Friday. For the second year in a row, the DIY heavyweight will roll out regional promotions that include door busters, as well as special pricing on lawn and garden, patio furniture, and grills.

The company launched the idea last Spring, and this year is expanding it to include 60,000 seasonal associates trained for four different weekend events, beginning this weekend. Participation varies by market and climate.

"Spring is our Christmas," Craig Menear, EVP/merchandising, says in the company's release. "We want to give consumers the best value possible to meet all of their indoor and outdoor needs." Additionally, the Atlanta based chain says it will post Black Friday-type offers on Facebook every Friday through the end of May, and that these Facebook exclusives will include discounts of as much as 50 to 75% off.

Chains like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sears are likely hoping this year's spring results will be more green and less grim. Gardeners were still recession-wary last spring, and the latest National Gardening Association survey found that while overall participation in one or more types of do-it-yourself lawn and garden activities increased by 2% to 83 million households last year, spending dropped 18% to $363. And total retail lawn and garden sales fell 16% to $30.12 billion last year, the lowest level it's reported in over a decade.