Do You Need a Hose Reel? Wall, Cart or Ground
A reel keeps the hose off the ground and stops it kinking at the tap. Which type to buy - wall mount, cart, or a lidded pot - depends on where you water.
Read moreGarden & Home Guide
Home improvement tips, guides, and product ideas for homeowners and renters in the US and Canada.
How to Water Your Garden: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Water deeply, less often, in the morning. A beginner's guide to how much, how often, and how to tell when your plants actually need water.
Read more
Should You Mulch Leaves Into the Lawn or Rake Them Up?
A thin layer of shredded leaves feeds the lawn; a thick wet mat smothers it. How to tell which one you have, and what to do with the rest.
Read more
Why Is My Garden Hose So Heavy and Hard to Drag?
A 50 ft reinforced hose weighs 15 to 20 lb before the water goes in. Where the weight comes from, and five ways to make watering lighter.
Read more
Does a Longer Garden Hose Reduce Water Pressure?
A longer hose does not change the pressure at the tap, but it changes what arrives at the end. Length, diameter, fittings, elevation - and how to test.
Read more
Winter Watering: Do Your Plants Still Need Water After the First Frost?
Evergreens keep losing water all winter, even when the ground is frozen. When to water, how much, and why the most important watering happens in autumn.
Read more
Frozen Garden Hose: How to Thaw It (and What's Ruined for Good)
A frozen hose is not automatically a dead hose - but how you thaw it decides. What to do, what never to do, and the three checks that follow.
Read more
Garden Hose Fittings Explained: Threads, Washers, Tape and Quick-Connects
Three fitting standards, one washer that fails every season, and tape that causes as many leaks as it fixes. How hose fittings work and how to seal them.
Read more
How Long Does a Garden Hose Actually Last? (And What Kills It First)
A cheap hose dies in one season; a good one lasts a decade. The four things that actually kill garden hoses, and the signs it is time to replace yours.
Read more
Why Your "Kink-Free" Hose Still Kinks (and How to Test One Before You Buy)
The label says kink-free but the hose still folds. Why that claim is relative, and three tests you can run before the return window closes.
Read more
Watering New Grass Seed in Fall (Without Washing It Away)
New seed needs water little and often - the opposite of how you water an established lawn. The fall schedule, and how to stop the seed washing into piles.
Read more
Garden Hose Nozzle Settings Explained (and When to Use Each)
Six spray settings, six different jobs. What each nozzle pattern is actually for, the three settings people get wrong, and how to keep the dial turning freely.
Read more