A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment of growing your own vegetables.
The watering can should be:
well balanced, easy to handle, durable, long lasting, value for money, & decorative
watering can
A watering can needs:
* a handle in a balanced position – to hold when carrying the can
without spillage
* a handle in a ‘backward’ position – to hold when pouring from the rose
* a removable rose so that the can may be used without a rose and so that the rose can be cleared when blocked (the rose is the perforated attachment at the end of the spout). Roses can be either round or oval. The shape and angle of the rose will determine the force of the stream of water from the rose.
* a spout which is slightly higher than the height of the body of
the can to allow the watering can to be filled to the brim.
Watering cans may be made of:
- galvanized iron (heavy, more expensive, longer lasting, may rust)
- plastic – light, cheap and durable . Plastic has smoother edges
& is therefore less likely to bruise your legs.
Specifications of watering cans
*1. Spouts-
- Long spouted ( long reach) cans are useful to reach to the back of the vegetable garden, or if you are going to be spraying seedlings with finer sprayheads.
- Shorter spouted cans are suitable for general watering jobs around the garden especially pot watering and spraying established plants. They are also easier to store.
- Curved spouts have been designed especially for accurate spot-on watering of individual plants & plant pots
*2. Size – Two smaller watering cans, instead of one big one, are
easier to carry. Water is heavy. Carrying two smaller cans distributes
the weight more evenly as there is a can in each hand.
*3. Colour – have different coloured cans to avoid the risk of
contamination with weedkillers. Have one red plastic watering can for
soluble fertilizers or weed killers; plastic because some chemicals
should not be used in galvanised watering cans. A green watering can be kept for pure water
*4. Shape – Narrow-profile rectangular watering cans may be held closer to the body than round ones, allowing better posture and causing less strain for the gardener.
Click this link to buy a watering can from Thompson & Morgan.
Haws Watering Cans are generally accepted as being the best watering cans you can buy. These make a perfect present for the gardener.
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It would have been perfect if you had added a picture of the perfect watering can. I know for a fact our watering can is wrong as it’s hard to carry because it’s not balanced plus it takes two hands to pour the water.
It made of plastic and has sharp edges. I told my wife, well suggested, that we maybe use that watering can as a planter and buy a real watering can.
Comment by James Mann — February 3, 2009 @ 7:28 am
Hi James
Thanks for your comment. We have added a picture. Hope you have a birthday coming soon & that your wife takes the hint!
Comment by sally — February 3, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
Thank you for this post, I love to read and write about gardening. I was looking for new raised bed vegetable garden ideas for my garden, but this was also very interesting to read.
Comment by Hank's raised bed vegetable garden — May 11, 2009 @ 5:18 pm