Simple Steps to Build a Garden Pond

We have all admired the beauty of someone else’s garden pond. The great thing about it is that you can have a beautiful garden pond in your yard with a lot of digging and a little bit of planning.

Location

The first thing to consider when planning a garden pond is location. The best location for a garden pond is a flat part of your yard that is away from trees. The flatter the area that you choose, the easier it will be to level the ground for the pond liner. It is also best to avoid an area close to trees. A tree could be trouble for a number of reasons. The roots could damage the garden pond liner and leaves constantly dropping into the garden pond will mean more work in the long run. If your are going to have fish in your garden pond, the location should be close to a power source as well.

Selecting A Liner

Their are many different varieties of garden pond liners. Style may be limited with a hard plastic liner, but they tend to last much longer than PVC pond sheeting. The PVC pond sheeting will typically last 2-3 years and maybe longer if extra care is taken. The prefabricated hard plastic liners tend to be more expensive but do last longer.

Site Preparation

If using a prefabricated pond, the easiest way to achieve the perfect hole is to turn the pond upside down on your lawn and loosely trace the outline, extending it out 8-12 inches from the actual dimensions of the liner. A sheet liner offers more freedom with design but still should be laid out and planned before the digging begins.

When clearing earth for a pond liner, it is imperative that the area be clear of rocks or other debris that may puncture the liner. A hole can be caused by the smallest of rocks due to the extreme weight of the water. Once the area is clear and is the proper size, it is time to install the liner or PVC sheeting.

Installation

Once the proper positioning is achieved, the pond should be partially filled. While filling the pond, look for areas that may need to be filled in or supported with more soil.
Once the pond has been filled it is time to decide what you want to have in the garden pond. The possibilities are endless but should be considered carefully as some plants may not be feasible if you are using fish in your pond.