Will Your Garden Hose Make Headlines?

It’s not often you find a garden hose in the headlines of a major city’s newspaper, but it happens. The Toronto Star reported on January 31, 2012 that a small tear in a garden hose led to a criminal trial. Apparently, the garden hose in question, belonging to neighbor A, was left lying in the driveway between the houses. When neighbor B returned home from work, she attempted to move said garden hose, which ran the length of the driveway and under the garden fence into the yard next door. The hose caught on a patio chair, causing a 6 mm tear. Neighbor A called the police, who arrested neighbor B and took her off to the station, charged with property damage. Now, setting aside the obvious that a torn garden hose is hardly a police matter, the whole issue could have been avoided had neighbor A known a few simple facts about hoses.

The Best Garden Hose You Can Buy

A water hose is one of your most important gardening and home maintenance tools, yet few people treat them with the respect they deserve. Many homeowners search for the cheapest plastic hose they can find. The results? Well, the hose could catch on a patio chair when a neighbor pulls on it, but that’s only one of the problems with using a cheap garden hose. Cheap hoses kink more easily, meaning you spend more time pacing back along the length of your hose to unkink it and restore the water flow. Whether you’re washing your car or watering the garden, it’s easier to do and less frustrating when you use a high quality 1/2 inch garden hose or 3/4 inch garden hose than when you’re using a cheap plastic hose from the discount store.

A Coil Garden Hose Stores Itself

Had neighbor A invested in a good quality coil garden hose, it wouldn’t have been lying across the driveway when her neighbor returned home. Instead, it would have been neatly coiled in a small area on the patio. And since they come in several colors, it might even have added nicely to the décor on the patio instead of catching and tearing on the leg of a patio chair.

A Garden Hose Reel Would Have Solved the Problem

Finally, had neighbor A invested in a garden hose reel to store her garden hose when it wasn’t in use, neighbor B wouldn’t have felt compelled to move it out of the way to safety. The hose would have been neatly rolled and stored out of harm’s way.

Is your garden hose a criminal case in the making? This is the time to check out your gardening equipment, including your hose, and decide whether you need to replace your worn garden hose with a brand new drinking safe garden hose, coil garden hose or high quality 1/2 inch garden hose.