Before garden hoses, watering meant hauling buckets and watering cans. Early hoses were made of stitched leather and were used for firefighting. Flexible hoses didn’t exist until 1839 when Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization, a process using heat and sulfur to make rubber stronger, more flexible, and crack resistant. By the late 1800s, homeowners could water gardens without carrying buckets. The garden hose found in your garage today would be instantly recognizable to a gardener 150 years ago. Sometimes the most revolutionary inventions become the ones we barely notice.
Growing Home - The History of the Garden Hose
