Fun Planters for a Patio Garden ~ my Sheep Planter

Look at that face. And that too it holds a plant! Yes, this is my sheep planter that I adore. 

If you have seen my other posts in Art, my passion for planters and pots is quite evident. I stumbled upon animal planters in Kohl’s and I couldn’t stop myself! This is my second animal planter from Kohl’s. The first one I am yet to write a post on. 🙂

And why did I plant a chili plant in it? Firstly, it’s a Chili plant. And a sheep gives us wool, which is warmth. Chilli, heat, wool, warm…get it?
Secondly and actually, we sort of had a chilli catastrophe a couple of months ago.(And it did not last too long, thankfully) There were NO green chillies available in any store. And that is a VERY serious thing for Indians and people who like their spicy food! In sheer desperation, I got a chilli plant from Orchard Supply and planted it in this planter. From a mere 5-6 leaves it grew this much with my first (ever) vegetable produce! Before I transplanted the chilli plant to a larger space in our patio, I thought I might as well share this cutie with my chillies on my blog. 🙂

Friends in conversation

Harmony in the patio

Now, while researching about chilli gardening, I found some very useful tips (and therefore, I transplanted the plant). Here are some helpful tips:

1) Container size makes a huge difference in the size of the plant. Containers, evidently, ‘contain’ the plant. So a bigger container/pot/planter will determine the actual size of the chili plant and amount of produce you get from it (some varieties are naturally small, no matter what pot they are in)

2) The hotter the chili variety is, the longer it takes for the chilies to grow. The warmer and sweeter variety show up earlier.

3) When Chili plant starts producing seeds, it does so for survival. It’s telling you that it needs a larger space. It’s time to transplant it.

4) Fertilize the plant about twice a week (depending on the weather) and water it well. Chili plants require moist but well-drained soil.

So, now that the plant is transplanted, hoping to get a better crop of chilies, soon! I will definitely update you on my blog. And any more chili gardening tips are most welcome!

Now, that my sheep planter is empty, any suggestions for what type/variety of plant will suit this cute planter?