Making a pond

Ponds are an important feature of any permaculture garden. They attract birds, insects and hopefully frogs and contribute to a moister microclimate.

The position chosen for the pond was in the centre towards the back of the garden. It was placed so that when you stand at the back door you can see it between the two new espaliers.

The pond was hand dug by me using a shovel and a crow bar. Pond liner was used to seal the area.

Initially I created a ledge all the way round the edge of the pond. I intended on placing either pots on it or growing plants along it. However, I quickly realised that there was no easy way to dam the soil on the ledge. The ledge was too thin and not straight enough to place pots on. I later drained the pond - bailing it out using a watering can and knocked the ledge off with a crow bar.

I made a bog area at the back and grew bog iris that I had brought from my old house. When I was draining the pond I only rolled the pond liner back to the bog garden.

There were some nice smooth round river rocks lying around in the garden and I incorporated these into the pond. The soil was placed behind the rocks to create a dam and the plants placed in position.