My Quest for the Perfect Pour: Ace Hardware Watering Cans
Alright, so my old watering can finally gave up the ghost. You know how it is, the plastic got brittle, cracked right down the side. Water everywhere except on the plants. Frustrating stuff. So, it was time for a new one, or maybe even a couple.
My first thought was, Ace Hardware. It’s just down the road, and they usually have a decent selection of garden stuff. So, I popped over there one afternoon, not really sure what I was looking for, just knew I needed something that, well, held water and poured it without a fuss.

Walking into the garden section, they had a fair few options. There were those shiny metal ones, looked pretty fancy. I thought about it for a second. Metal seems sturdy, right? But then I remembered leaving my last metal one out in the rain, and it got all rusty. Plus, they can be a bit heavy even before you put water in them. My back ain’t what it used to be!
So, I leaned more towards the plastic ones. They’re just lighter, and honestly, for what I need, they do the job. I poked around a bit, picked a few up. Some felt super flimsy, like they’d crack if you looked at them wrong. Others felt a bit more solid.
I ended up grabbing two different ones from Ace:
- A smaller one, maybe about a gallon, I guess. This one was for my indoor plants. I figured I don’t need a massive can for just a few pots in the living room. Easier to maneuver around furniture too.
- Then, a bigger one for the outdoor garden beds. This one’s a bright blue, maybe two gallons or so. Figured bigger is better for outside so I don’t have to make so many trips back to the tap.
Got them home and put them to work pretty much straight away. The little indoor one? Pretty good, actually. The spout has a nice, gentle shower, doesn’t blast my little seedlings out of the soil. It’s easy to fill in the kitchen sink, and it doesn’t drip all over the place when I’m carrying it. So far, so good on that front.
The big blue boy for outside, well, it holds water, that’s for sure. It’s definitely sturdy, which is good ’cause I’m not always gentle with my garden tools. The handle is comfy enough, even when it’s full and heavy. The “rose” or sprinkle head on it is okay. It gives a decent shower for the veggies. Sometimes if I tip it too fast, it kinda gushes out a bit unevenly from the main spout opening rather than just the holes, but I’m usually not in a massive hurry, so I just pour a bit slower.
Filling it up from the hose is easy. It’s big enough that I can water a good section of the garden before needing a refill. I’ve left it out in the sun and rain a few times already (oops), and the plastic seems to be holding up fine. No fading or cracking yet, which is a plus.
So, overall, my trip to Ace for watering cans was a success. Didn’t break the bank, and my plants are getting watered without me having to use a leaky old bucket. They’re not super fancy, top-of-the-line things, but they’re practical, they work, and that’s really all I was after. Just some straightforward tools for a straightforward job. Happy with my haul!
