Garden Hose Accessories No Home Should Be Without

Once you’ve got the best garden hose for your gardening and utility uses, there are a few garden hose accessories you should consider. These accessories help you store and care for your garden hose and extend its utility beyond simply pouring water on your garden. Whether your hose is a ½ inch garden hose for basic watering tasks or a coil garden hose chosen for easy storage and good looks, these additions can make your life easier and extend the life of your garden hose beyond one or two seasons.

Garden Hose Reel

Storing your garden hose properly is one of the most important things you can do to extend its life and keep it in good condition. Leaving your hose lying on the ground exposes it to the sun, which can dry out the vinyl/rubber and make it brittle, and leaves it vulnerable to mold, mildew and pests that can damage your hose on the ground. A garden hose reel gets your hose up off the ground and prevents it from kinking and tangling, which preserves its life and makes it easier to coil for storing. There are many different types of hose reels available, including retractable garden hose reels that automatically coil the hose for you, and garden hose reels with turn handles so that you can coil the hose yourself. Most garden hose reels will easily accommodate the typical ½ inch garden hose or ¾ inch garden hose in lengths up to 50 feet. Larger hose reels will accommodate larger hoses.

Garden Hose Fittings

The brass fittings at the either end of the garden hose are called garden hose fittings. Typically, a quality garden hose has solid brass fittings that don’t bend or warp out of shape. A spare set of garden hose fittings is a handy thing to have tucked away for emergency repairs during the season. If, for example, your garden hose springs a leak in the middle, it’s a simple matter to cut out the damaged part, put fittings on the cut ends and have two shorter garden hoses that you can couple together.

Garden Hose Couplings

The further your hose has to reach, the less water pressure you’ll have when the water gets there. While you may need 75 feet of hose to reach the driveway once in a while, you don’t have to always use a 100-foot hose when you’re watering the garden right beside your faucet. Invest in a pair of shorter garden hoses and only couple them together when you need the extra length.

Consider specialty garden hose products for specific uses. If you use your hose to water the garden, for example, choose a drinking safe garden hose, or a coil garden hose when you want an easy-store hose that takes up little space. Whatever you choose, check out the nozzles, sprayers, sprinklers and accessories that can make your garden hose more versatile, easier to use and simple to store.