Garden Hose

How to choose the right Garden Hoses for your Garden

Garden hoses today come in many lengths, widths, and even materials. So how do you choose the right one for your gardening needs? Most of us just run to the store, look around and pick the cheapest one that looks halfway decent. We do not typically spend a great amount of time fretting over whether or not this particular garden hose will suit our gardening needs or even if the hose you are looking at will connect to your outside spigot. You need to make sure that the diameter of the hoses coupling will match the diameter of your spigot.

You need to consider the things you think you will be doing with your garden hose when pricing and comparing. If you plan to do serious gardening with either flower or vegetable garden, you might need a longer hose (garden hoses typically range in length from 25 ft. up to 100 ft.) in order to reach your garden. If your garden is right next to your house, then you’ll need a shorter hose. Today there are garden hose winders that allow you to easily wind your hosepipe by either a hand or motorized crank that might be ideal for you if you are going to be doing a great amount of work with your hose at a distance from your house. This is an added expense and whether or not it is worth the convenience to you is completely a personal choice. Time is quite often money and anything that can help save time is generally money well spent.

If your only use for garden hoses is filling kiddie pools or washing cars, the quality of the hose may not be as important to you as it will be to someone who will get almost daily use of their garden hoses. However, if you buy a good quality garden hose, you may be making a one-time investment rather than replacing a cheap garden hose every two to three years.

If you’re looking for a garden hose that will water your lawn, you may consider a soaker hose. These neat hoses have holes along the length of the hosepipe and a capped off end. This allows water to slowly flow out of the hose in a manner that allows the water to slowly soak the soil in the area without pounding it, as many sprinklers will do.

If you want a cheaper hose that you intend to replace as needed, a typical vinyl garden hose should do the trick. These can be found at most discount retailers and gardening chain stores. If you want better quality and are willing to pay a little extra for it (which is completely worth it if you plan to make extensive use of your garden hose) you may want to consider buying one of the many rubber garden hoses on the market. These hoses are a little more difficult to handle but offer an added strength that will stand up to much more abuse than a vinyl garden hose. Ultimately the decision is yours alone. Choose the hose that will best suit your particular needs and price requirements.