Tips for making a small pond

[KateG]

We've got a small garden and 2 young children. I'd love to have a pond to attract some wildlife, especially frogs. I think we could put a small pond in the corner of the garden with a wall on 2 sides .

So, what is the minimum size the pond should be to attract a bit of wildlife? Any tips on how to do it, what to put in it or where to put it (sun, shade etc).

I have no idea on ponds but my only aim is to attract wildlife for my pleasure and to show the children what real life is all about.

[sewer rat]

Great idea !
Your pond can be any size but you don't want to make it too deep. 2ft at it's deepest would be more than sufficient. As regards siting in sun or shade - a mix would be preferable, but if not then sun would be preferred as you can shade with border plants and/or pond plants. As you have children, a mesh covering would be an idea for safety.
In addition, if you intend to use the pond primarily as a sanctuary for wildlife, then you need to incorporate a means of the animals/ amphibians enetering and exiting - either some strategically placed rocks or a ramp of sorts.
You can buy preformed fibreglass pond liners and just dig them in or if you want to go with a butyl pond liner, remember to remove all roots and stones from the surface of the hole you have dug, then place a layer of sand about 2 inches thick before laying your liner out. Fill with water to let the weight of the water pull the liner into place. Most important, do not trim your liner til the pond has settled in. Sounds simle but I was involved in the construction of a large garden pond (50,000 gallons) about 4 years ago and the construction manager wouldn't wait and follow the above steps and it took about 6 months to rectify his errors - burst liner, liner slipping into pond so the water was running out and under the liner etc.
Anyway, Enjoy.

[littlewin]

its possible to make a small pond in a pot (if you check the BBC gardeners world website) full details are on there. Sorry I don't know how to insert a link.

[KateG]

Thank you so much for your help, we're going to set about it over the weekend - I'll find that info littlewin, thank you.

[greenlung]

Hi - We've used this old blue kids' sandpit, sunk into the ground, as a pond for a couple of years and now have about 4 or 5 frogs living in and around it. The wire mesh stops the local cat / fox from getting them, a plank of wood gives them privacy and shade & the plants around it prevent small ones from falling in. Cost: £0.00p. Effort: Not a lot ; )

[SueA]

We have one of those tiny preformed ponds in a raised bed & the frogs manage to find their way up into it & we also have a toad & have had dragonflies hatch out of it. Any size will do, just add a few plants & don't add fish if you want it to be a wildlife pond or they will eat the larvae/nymphs etc.

[Flapjack]

Not sure if i'm too late with this but we found this site really helpful: Wild About Gardens = Put in a pond

[grass routes]

I am making a tiny pond on the allotment with an old plastic baby bath sunk into the earth. One of my home neighbours did this (we've limited space) and they had loads of frogs spawn this year. My cat really enjoyed them.

[snohare]

they had loads of frogs spawn this year. My cat really enjoyed them.

Didn't that give rise to any "ill felines" Grassroutes ?!

[nick the grief]

Have a search for the "Wildtrack pond" it was done in the dark and distant past when I was only a pot boy rather than a guru

It's shaped like a spoon in profile ( deeper on one side than the other) so you could put the deep bit against the wall and make the shallow side a pebbley beach so stuff can get in and out easy ( hedgehog have a knack of falling in our pond !) and birds can bathe.

[lynda66]

if cost is an issue, try using a paddling pool with the straight edges , if you plant edging plants you wont see it, and add some rocks for any creatures to escape, :-)

[wornoutmumoftwo]

I used my boys old paddling pool to make a very small pond - after i added sand it only turned out too be anke deep and the boys still paddle in!

I'm actually trying to create a sensory garden area so the pond/paddling pool has turned out to be great fun for them, though not what I had in mind.

[HeyWayne]

if cost is an issue, try using a paddling pool with the straight edges , if you plant edging plants you wont see it, and add some rocks for any creatures to escape, :-)

I'd also suggest asking a local pond supplier if they have any off-cuts. I'm lucky in that there's an aquatic shop right next to our allotment so I popped in and bought a huge piece of butyl liner for £20.

[TinyT]

An old sunken bucket may be an idea. I didn't realise until yesterday that there was one hiding under the hedge next to the greenhouse. The toads seem to like jumping from the blue bucket full of green stuff to the greenhouse to collect the insects.

[Claire72]

Do you have to clean them out? Hate the smell caused by cleaning out ponds (childhood memories) but if it was just a case of a bit of water in a secluded part of the garden, could manage that