How to build a garden pond

This looks like a great day to build a pond. You will have fun doing this project and you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come.

Pick the spot on which you would like to see your new pond. This is your first time building a pond, so you will start small. This pond will be six feet wide and no more than seven feet long. Remember to keep it at least three feet from any property line. Mark it with spray paint. Now call the power company to check for wires and cable before you dig.

Now that you have marked the spot for the pond, you are going to do just a little digging. At the point nearest the outside power outlet on your property, you will make the deep end. This is the place where the pump will go. Dig down one foot by two feet. All the dirt you remove from the hole will go on the edges of the marked line for the outside of the pond. Remove six inches of soil from the rest of the pond area. Place the dirt in a pile all the way around the pond. This raises the outside edge of the pond.

Now you will cover the pond area with a rubber pond liner. For the six inch deep by six foot, by seven foot pond, you will need a liner that measures ten feet by ten feet. Un-roll the liner and fold it in the middle. Put the liner over the dug out area with the middle line of the liner at the middle of your future pond. When you get to the deep hole for the pump, make sure to get the liner all the way down into the hole. It is normal to have folds and wrinkles at the deep hole.

You now have about a foot of liner sticking out all around the pond. Do not cut this. This excess liner covers the dirt you placed at the edge of the pond. Even though you only dug out six inches you find that because of the dirt at the outside edge, your pond is nearly a foot deep.

Over the liner that shows at the edge of the pond, start stacking the large rocks. Place the most flat of the rocks first. Allow a couple of inches of rock to overlap the edge of the pond.

This is where your creativity comes in. You can use any varity of rock. I like to put the plain looking rock down first and lay more colorful rocks on top. Wiggle the rocks into place. You want them to be solid enough to stand on. Turn the rocks to find the most flat area of each stone to face the liner, flat side down.

Put the filter/pump in the hole at the deep end. Take the cord plug from the pump and run it as far out of the pond area as possible. Put rock all around this cord so that it is never stepped on directly. Leave the plug showing so you know where to find it.

Now for some fun. Connect the tube to the filter/pump. The filter/pump will take the water in, filter it, then pump it out through that tube. Where ever you place the end of the tube is where the water will come into your pond. Run the tube to the edge of the pond. Use rocks to weight it down so as to hold it in place. Turn the opening on the tube back into the pond. Put a big rock under the tube. Place two rocks on either side of the tube and a large rock over this to hold it secure. This will allow the water to flow over one rock before it enters the pond. It will look like a little water fall. Place more rocks around the rock holding the tube.You want the rocks stacked solid enough to walk on without moving or crushing the tube.

Fill the pond with water from your garden hose. Fill it almost to the edge.

Time to plug the filter/pump into the electrical outlet and turn it on. Now you see your waterfall. Adjust the rocks to the effect you want.

Nice pond! You could use a few plants though.

From your local nursery, you can purchase a varity of water plants. The plants which come in pots, leave in the pot and just add rock to hide the pot. Reeds usually come in a one gallon black plastic container. Set the container into the water and add rock for looks. Comfrey grows well if you make a place near the edge of the pond for it. Put a few rocks into the water and pile them so part of the rock sticks above the water line. Nestle the comfrey roots into the spaces between the rocks. Spider lily likes the edge of this pond also.

By leaving the plants in their pots, you can bring the plants indoors when the winter gets too cold for them.

If you have animals in the area you will want to place several large rocks in the pond. Place them so that animals which do not swim well can find something to use to escape the water.

Birds like having a shallow place for a bath. By filling a small portion of your pond with rock just below the water line, the birds will use this for their bath.

If you enjoy Dragon flies and Humming birds, you are at the right place. A few flowers planted and you are ready to sit back and enjoy.