Turn An Old Tomato Can Into The Cutest Hanging Planter For Your Porch

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The price for a new, bigger, well-rated hanging porch planter starts at $20 — and it only goes up from there. While a brand new hanging planter should function just fine, the way they look can leave something to be desired for the more design-minded among us. It's for this reason that savvy small space gardeners don't head to the store when looking for cute flower pots. Instead, they repurpose old tomato cans into stunning DIY hanging planters that liven up their home for a fraction of the cost.

Of all the common household items you can turn into beautiful planters, tomato cans are perhaps the most flexible. They come in a bunch of standardized sizes, the largest being the No. 10 or 3-quart can. It's a size of can that commercial kitchens or food service establishments might buy for bulk cooking. If you don't need a planter that big, any can number between 2½ and 5 should work. You'll place a potted plant inside this upcycled container, so choose a can that's large enough to accommodate the size of the planter you have.

To make the planter portable and hangable, you'll need a roll of thick but still bendable wire. Use it to fashion a sturdy handle. A wine cork makes the handle more comfortable to hold. The tools you need to transform the can, wire, and cork into a usable planter include a pair of needle-nosed pliers, some wire cutters, a Phillips-head screwdriver, a hammer, and an ice pick. To up the cuteness factor, buy a can of Krylon Gloss Spray Paint for Indoor/Outdoor Use in Emerald Green.

This makeover starts by soaking and washing the can in dish soap and water. You need to get all the tomato remnants out of the container. Set the can aside to air-dry completely. Next, make two holes on opposite sides of the bucket near the rim using the screwdriver and hammer. They will accommodate the wire handle, so make sure two holes are evenly spaced. Punch five or six holes into the bottom of the can in the same manner. Then spray the entire can with a few coats of paint.

Once the paint has dried to the touch, punch a hole through the wine cork lengthways using the ice pick. Cut your wire to whatever length you'd like the planter's handle and thread it through the cork. Position the cork in the middle of the wire, then thread the ends of your new handle through the holes near the rim of the can. Twist both ends back around the length of wire to secure them in place.

Pop a potted plant (container and all) inside your transformed tomato can hanging planter, and hang it from the eaves of your porch. Tomatoes are acidic, so the inside of tomato cans — and most other food cans — are coated with a protective liner, making them perfectly suited to this project. The liner reduces the chance of corrosion from watering, at least internally. That said, they likely won't last forever outdoors and exposed to the elements. Thankfully, you can simply make more cute hanging planters with this easy DIY that's perfect for beginners.