Enamel Colander as a Hanging Porch Planter

I don’t know about y’all, but I am a sucker for vintage kitchen goodies- utensils, hand towels, salt-and-pepper shakers, you name it! And when we bought our house last summer, the front porch had a hook in the ceiling, just begging for a hanging porch planter. It was the perfect place for me to try my hand at upcycling an enamel colander into a planter and front porch decor.

Enamel colanders are ideal for this upcycling idea. They’re heavy enough to not swing around in the wind, and being a food strainer and all, they have built-in drainage holes!

After finding one at an antiques shop, I was ready to give this project a go!

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Creating a Hanging Basket from an Enamel Colander

First, I needed to devise an easy way to connect chain to the handles on the enamel colander.

So, I nabbed a couple of carabiners from the hardware store and connected one to each handle. Quick links would also work just fine, too.

But, the carabiner hung on the handle and could easily slip around. I didn’t want my hanging planter to slip around and become crooked.

In other words, I needed to fix each one in place on their respective handles. 

Since I’m not exactly the kind of DIYer who can solder metal, I went with a much easier fix: wire! I simply twisted some heavy gauge jewelry wire around the carabiner and handle until it was firmly fixed in place.

Next, I wanted to add a hanging basket liner that didn’t take up too much room in the enamel colander. A couple of pieces of cheesecloth did the trick!

Then, I added some chain. With my wire cutters, I clipped a length of chain with an uneven number of links. This way, I could isolate the very center link to hang from the hook in my porch ceiling. 

And the spring-loaded nature of carabiners made it super easy to slip chain onto each one.

Now the enamel colander was ready to be planted!

Enamel Colander as a Hanging Porch Planter

Once the enamel colander had been outfitted to hang as a hanging basket, I filled it with potting soil.

My annuals took to it like fish to water! My enamel colander was the PERFECT outdoor hanging basket.

Between the built-in drainage holes and the handles from which to hang chain, you have to wonder. Were colanders ALWAYS meant to ultimately become hanging planters?

And if you enjoyed this easy upcycling idea for a hanging porch planter, then you may also be interested in this galvanized bucket planter, as well!

For more upcycling ideas for unique planters like this, please check out this collection of garden pots and planters for loads of inspiration!

Craft on!

S

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