9 Liter Hot-Dip Galvanized Metal Watering Can - Durable Garden & Indoor Use

A hot-dip galvanised watering can built to last decades rather than seasons, and suited to anyone who would rather buy once and be done with it.

The construction here is heavier than you will find in most watering cans: thicker iron sheet, stronger welds, and a rough finish that is not incidental but part of what makes the thing hold up. Once formed, each can is immersed in a zinc alloy at 460 degrees; the zinc adheres to the iron in a thick, even coat, and the can hangs to drip for twenty minutes before it is done. It is, as galvanising goes, the most thorough method available, and the corrosion protection it gives is rated to around fifty years.

The unpainted cans keep their zinc colour and will slowly oxidise over time, settling into a matte, weathered tone that suits a working garden well. If you would like that process to move along, a weak acid, such as a diluted sour milk product, applied to the surface will accelerate it. There is no great trick to it, and the result is rather better than a finish that stays bright and new-looking indefinitely.

Because the metal is fully galvanised throughout, you can leave water standing in the can between uses without concern. The one thing to observe is frost: empty it before a hard freeze, and it will give you no trouble.

• Hot-dip galvanised watering can, available in two heights: 28 cm and 40 cm
• Diameter 23 cm; length 60 cm
• Capacity 9 litres
• Weight 1.8 kg
• Suitable for indoor and outdoor use
• Do not leave water in the can if frost is expected
• Zinc surface will oxidise gradually; a weak acid solution speeds the process if preferred

Fill it, empty it at the end of the season, and store it somewhere dry over winter; that is genuinely all the maintenance it asks for. A can this well made will outlast several of the lighter alternatives, and it will look better for the wear.