Review: Garden Essentials Watering Can

I'm going to start this off by saying that I don't have a whole lot of experience with watering cans- when I was younger and gardening, we always used the hose, or in the case of my grandfather he would just use an old coffee can and dip it into the 5 gallon bucket of water. For my mom, watering cans were pretty much decorative.

That said, I knew I needed a watering can- my aunt has one, but it's metal and it only has a single stream nozzle and I *knew* that with the "loose" soil in my SFG box, I would need a "shower" type head, which diffuses the stream into a lot of tiny ones- like a big shower head. This is a lot gentler on the soil, and exactly what I wanted.

I found the above watering can, which is labeled as "Garden Essentials" brand, at the local Target near the now-defunct Marketplace Mall. A quick Google search found a garden supply place selling the brand but I could not find the specific one I purchased.

It cost me around $8- I've already tossed my receipt so I don't know the exact price. It's made from fairly sturdy plastic and holds 2 gallons. There are lines on one side marking volumes- if you're worried about that sort of thing. I'm not. I just fill it up, take it out, and if there's any left over (which there generally won't be since I'll keep watering until the water is gone- the excess will drain) I would just leave it in the can or dump it on the grass depending on when I think I'll need it.

As for impressions? I *love* this watering can. The handle is nice and big, easy to hold. The 2 gallons of water doesn't feel terribly heavy when you carry the handle- it doesn't have edges that cut into you. The nozzle easily turns to adjust- the only complaint I would have is that it isn't super watertight around the edges- it does let a little extra leak out. As a bonus, you can tilt the watering can pretty far forward and it'll still have a nice gentle stream - again, this is great for preserving the soil.

I'm a little concerned that the "concentrated" stream might be a bit harsh given how big the can is, but I haven't tried it yet.

I think with proper care this watering can could last pretty much forever- it's plastic so it will not rust- the only thing I see breaking would be the adjustable nozzle on the end, but I'm optimistic that it won't be a problem.

Grade: A

The "Salad Bed" is well underway

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. I should really fill everyone in on what's going on :D

I got the "grid" down last week the day after I built the bed- I opted to use nylon string and nails driven into the edges at 1 ft intervals. I then hammered the nails sideways so they would hold the string on- I will likely do more to shape them to the sides of the beds so they don't cause problems for people walking around/mowing the lawn/etc, but for now they're fine. I waited a couple days to actually get stuff planted, hoping against hope that there would be some rain so I wouldn't have to rig something up for soaking the soil, but nada, so I went down into the basement, located a too-short crappy garden hose my aunt had, and hooked it to the terribly leaky faucet in the garage, then dragged it as far as I could go and used the leaky nozzle to send the water sailing over the fence and onto the garden bed. I then had to make several trips with the small watering can my aunt had stashed around to get everything soaked once I planted it, but I planted everything that you can before the last frost date- which should be in a week or so, which gives me a bit of time to get the other bed down, but not much. The Corn and Sunflowers are coming in the mail probably today- which means it took FOREVAH for Gurney's to get my full order to me, but oh well.

My seedlings in the little greenhouses are coming along great, except for one thing- they're really TALL. I'm just going to let them bush out/fall over as needed in the confines of the space they have until I'm ready to pop them in the garden, but it's annoying- should have been expected, though. If there's no air movement around plants, they will tend to grow tall and spindly. Makes it extra good in commercial and experimental greenhouses that they have fans for air ventilation, because it keeps everything from getting spindly.

We went to Target yesterday, and though I forgot to buy toilet paper, I DID find an AMAZING watering can for only $7-8 or so. I found this one which was more obviously what I wanted- the kind with the "shower" type nozzle- but it was fancy recycled plastic and cost $25- more than I was willing to spend. There was a nice-looking 2 gallon can with a sort of spin nozzle so you could do a stream or shower, and I picked that up. I just used it this morning and I'm INCREDIBLY pleased. Just... WOW! Nice, gentle "shower" that doesn't disturb the soil, and because it's 2 gallons I didn't have to go back to get more water. Too bad it's not online at Target.com because I would really highly recommend it to everyone- it comes in different colors too, and there are smaller versions. I might go back for more.

Currently there are tentative plans for a third SFG bed- 8'x1', but I'm not sure if that'll happen. I need to get 4 more 2cu.ft. bags of soil if that comes to fruition, and the thought of going to Lowes again makes me ill. I don't know- that was a really stressful trip, I guess. And I still need materials for the chicken wire cages. Ugh. I wish that there weren't any deer to worry about so I just wouldn't have to mess with the cages.

Anyway, I'll try to get pictures of the "finished" bed as well as the great watering can and the blooming lilacs (Lilac Festival is going on right now!) for the next post. Tata!