Topsfield inventor finds garden stores say yes to his U Can

Developed in response to the growing number of people growing their own food, Ugone said, his U Can will hit the shelves of local retailers and garden centers in January. Until then, the all-in-one implement will be available on his company’s website.

The U Can features fertilizer storage and measuring devices, storage locations for a removable sprinkler head and garden gloves, and a dial to help gardeners keep track of their fertilizing schedule. Ergonomically designed, its rubber handles were engineered to evenly distribute weight while carrying, lifting and pouring, Ugone said, while its body is made from translucent plastic for easy measuring, and can hold up to two gallons.

But despite plenty of early interest in his invention from stores and gardeners, Ugone has no intention of turning it into his career. He wants to make that clear to his 170 clients as a money manager. “The U Can is a passion, but I love what I do, ’’ Ugone said of his day job. “I keep several irons in the fire.’’

Ugone is a man of many passions. His love of gardening dates to his childhood in Worcester, where much of what arrived on the family’s dinner table was grown in the backyard.

“My mom used to pick mushrooms in the morning and feed them to my dad for lunch. If he survived the meal, she’d eat them for dinner,’’ he said, smiling.

Ugone went on to earn a degree in horticulture from the Stockbridge School at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which led to a teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse on an Indian reservation in New Mexico. That was followed by an expedition to the North Pole, a 10-year teaching position at Essex Agricultural and Technical High School in Danvers, and a year living with his young family in Italy, where he managed his financial clients’ accounts remotely.

Ugone started thinking about building a better watering can two years ago, when “the world wasn’t looking so great.

“I just wanted to bring to life an idea that would improve the lives of gardeners,’’ he said. “The U Can started as a response to beach chatter about inventions with friends and neighbors.’’

Over the past 18 months, Ugone has learned much about the challenges of bringing a product from idea to market.

“It has been a wild and expensive ride,’’ he said. “The challenge is finding an idea that can work and be profitable.’’

Manufactured in the United States entirely from recycled products, the U Can is creating jobs while riding the wave of a couple of trends, as more people strive to grow their own food, reduce their carbon footprint, and buy products made from renewable resources.

A National Gardening Association survey, “The Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America,’’ found that food gardening is on the rise across the country.

Steve Flynn, owner of Nunan’s Garden Center in Georgetown for 40 years, has also noticed a spike in food plant and seed sales.

“Most definitely our business is up, not so much for shrubbery, but vegetable gardens have been huge. We sold more tomato plants this year than I can remember. Vegetable gardening is out of sight,’’ he said.

Flynn is a fan of the U Can, and he plans to stock it next year.

“I find it interesting. It has a lot of gadgets,’’ he said. “In the gardening business, we like people to fertilize every fourth day. The watering can holds concentrate in the can itself and it has a built-in measuring cup and a way to help gardeners keep track of dates they fertilized. I ordered two cases for January or February delivery.’’

More information about Ugone’s invention is available at www.theucanbrand.com.