Re-purposed Chicken Waterer

We had two of these metal waterers just sitting in our barn, not being used for anything.  So, I came up with this idea.  

And truly I love it!  I have only had to water these flowers once since I planted them and its been almost a month; these waterers are great because they hold moisture for the plants and when it rains the bottom "tray" holds extra water for the plants to "suck" in.

Materials Needed:
-metal watering can
-double loop chain {about twice as long as you want your plant to hang}

-wire cutter
-pliers
-drill with drill bit {just a little larger than the diameter of your chain}
-soil
-plant of choice {you could do flowers, herbs, lettuces, etc.}

Process:
1.  Drill one hole through the waterer on each side; I recommend that you do this on either side of the top handle for added strength.

You can just barely see the hole I drilled
about 1 inch below where the handle is attached.

2. Use the wire cutter to cut the end link on both ends of the chain, then use the pliers to bend the links out enough so they will be able to loop into the holes you drilled.  Loop both end links into either side of the waterer.

3. Add soil and plant to waterer; you don't need any  drainage material or extra holes since these waterers already have a hole to let out water.

I recommend not watering your freshly planted plants until they are already hanging where you want them, so they aren't too heavy for you to hold up to hang.

4. Unloop one side of the chain from the waterer, hold the plant up to the branch where you want it to hang and loop the chain over the branch, then place the open chain link back into the hole.

Adjust the waterer so that it hangs level, water plant and enjoy!

I also think since I hung my flowers from trees the little bit of shade that they get throughout the day may help them to retain water too.

You could also hang these from a hook on a porch, deck, post, etc.

 Enjoy!