Hanging Pots, an Old Fashioned Way

I have discovered several advantages to hanging plants, instead of setting them on a shelf.

• Hooks in the ceiling are cheaper than new shelves. 
• They block the sun way less for the plants beneath them.
• You can push them out of the way to reach the ones beyond them. 
• I've got hooks set up along the edge of my garage: lots of free room. 

But buying store-bought hanging planters is expensive, so I make my own. Here's how I go about it.

I start with a heavy duty plant pot (which I get free by scavenging behind Home Depot [I have permission] during the gardening season). I buy bulk chain from inside Home Depot and I cut it to length.

Punch holes in the perimeter of the pot, and work a cut chain link through. Use pliers to close the link.

Hook the other ends to the end of a short length of chain. I usually use around 18 inches for this piece: I want it to hang down from the ceiling far enough to be able to water it & admire the growing plants.

(This one has nasturtium seeds in it: it'll go outside once it starts blooming, to attract bees.)

The other end of the chain has another cut link (that's how you cut the chain into shorter pieces). Hook it into the eye in the ceiling.


 

I made a special tool for reaching the hooks in the ceiling when I can't reach them.

It's just a re-shaped L-hook (or any hook), attached to the end of a handy stick. This one's about 4' long. I glued it in, and I wrapped the end of the stick in wire to keep it tight.

Oh, I also put up a piece of rebar, specifically to hang a lot of pots from.