Want a pond, but my lottie has no water

[muckdiva]

Is it just plain stupid to put a pond on an allotment which has no water supply? I'd like to encourage froggies etc, but don't want to be lugging water up there daily in hot weather. Any advice grapes? Rainwater harvesting not set up as yet! I have butts, but they're needed for the plants really.

[Paul Wagland]

Go for it - just make it small and deep rather than big and shallow. You'll need to fill it to begin with, but a small surface area should keep evaporation down.

Shade it from the sun with overhanging or surface-spreading plants, and try to keep the wind off it with some shelter to the south and west.

[lottie dolly]

this looks likes it could be another use for an empty plastic milk container,or pop bottle,if you have any rain water at home,would it be convenient to bring it to lottie a bit each time you go,be supprised how quickly it builds up,get some friends to help out.

[roitelet]

Hi Muckydiva,

You could pipe the water from the shed (if you have one) to the pond with some kind of device so that the water only goes to the pond when the butts are full. One of those plastic diverters would work. Take the downpipe right down to the ground and then run the pipe to the pond underground. When the butt is full close the diverter and the water will go to the pond.

I have piped the rainwater from the part of the roof of the house to my pond about 40m away. I haven't got a diverting device as the other downpipes are already emptying into butts. I get so much water in the pond which is big that I am seriously thinking of digging a second one to take the overflow. Then perhaps another one to take the overflow from the second one. Where will it end?

[Snadger]

I am seriously considering putting a pond on my allotment but it's on a slope so the only place for it would be at the bottom of the plot. I would have to sort of 'terrace' the pond or else the water would run out to another plot!

What's the smallest worthwhile size pond for attracting wildlife I wonder?

[Rockhag]

At the bottom of my plot is a toad but I think he's still in hibernation as I haven't seen him since last year. The bottom of the plot, besides the asparagus I planted last week, the rubarb and the berries is left to its own devices as the "wildlife section" Eventually I'm going to try and set up a pond (bathtub) there.

[greenlung]

Hi - Don't worry, the rain will soon fill up a pond big enough for frogs & they'd prefer it to mains water anyway. Keep a spare water butt in case of drought, if you can. I used a small shell-shaped paddling pool / sandpit, not much more than 1ft deep & 4ft across & soon had some visitors.

[jeannine]

On my first lottie I was 500 yards from the nearest waterbutt and I used to get cross that the local foxes used to come and drink at my pond which made the water level go down faster than natural evaporation. That's until i saw a vixen take her cubs for a drink one evening... Priceless!

You may well get an old bathtub for free, and they make ideal ponds on a lottie - just make sure you include a plank so that hedgehogs can get out again if they fall in!

[Snadger]

On my first lottie I was 500 yards from the nearest waterbutt and I used to get cross that the local foxes used to come and drink at my pond which made the water level go down faster than natural evaporation. That's until i saw a vixen take her cubs for a drink one evening... Priceless!

You may well get an old bathtub for free, and they make ideal ponds on a lottie - just make sure you include a plank so that hedgehogs can get out again if they fall in!

I already have a bathtub on the lottie that I use for washing veg and filling my watering can but how could I use it as a pond and make it so that it doesn't look like a bathtub sunk in the ground?

[rustylady]

Is there no water available at all on your site, Muckdiva? We at least have a few standpipes with taps. Best system I've seen so far was in Worthing. Water troughs filled automatically when water taken out (similar to a loo). No risk of some idiot leaving a tap running, but you could easily fill a watering can.

[rustylady]

I already have a bathtub on the lottie that I use for washing veg and filling my watering can but how could I use it as a pond and make it so that it doesn't look like a bathtub sunk in the ground?

Sink it in the ground, plant closely round it so that plants overhang the edge (disguising it)

[Paul Wagland]

Don't forget to put the plug in

Seriously though, block the plughole and overflow with exterior sealant.

[roitelet]

I am seriously considering putting a pond on my allotment but it's on a slope so the only place for it would be at the bottom of the plot. I would have to sort of 'terrace' the pond or else the water would run out to another plot!

What's the smallest worthwhile size pond for attracting wildlife I wonder?

Terracing the pond would be fine Snadger. That is just what I did with mine. Saves a lot of digging as well. What you take from the high side builds up the low side, also solves the promlem of what to do with the spoil

How small? Well in the UK I had a tiny pond 3ft x 5ft and very shallow. One year I had to do some serious cleaning at the wrong time of year and took out 24pairs of breeding toads and lots of hopefulls Frogs will lay spawn in a puddle 'cos they are irresponsible and don't stop to think that the puddle will dry out!

I think that any constant source of water will attract wildlife.

Best of luck

[jeannine]

That's a good point about frogs being irresponsible - one of my friends gave me some frogspawn that was laid in her bird bath which is 1" (2cm) deep!

If you can dig your own pond, it's well worth having at least a bit that's 1m (3") deep as that helps the chances of survival for any especially randy male frogs who decide to overwinter in the pond so they cunningly get the first pick of the ladies who arrive in spring.