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Making a pond

17 October 2007

Common frog

Image: Graham Catley

  • Once you have decided on the area and approximate size of your pond, clear the site of any turf. This can be cut and stacked to one side for using at a later stage.
  • Mark the shape of the pond out with pegs and string or sand. Make it as big as you can – the hole will always look bigger than the final pond.
  • Dig your pond out, putting the soil to one side. This can be used later as a raised bed or better still, use it to create a nesting, basking and hibernating area for amphibians, reptiles and even solitary bees.
  • Line it with a smooth layer of newspapers, sand or old carpet to prevent the plastic liner being punctured.
  • Most pond lining material is made from either polythene or butyl rubber, but some ponds are clay or concrete lined. You can buy pre-formed plastic liners from garden centres, but many of these are more trouble than they are worth: they are difficult to fit and level and tend to be very steep sided. They are also very expensive for their size.
  • Estimate the size of the liner for a pond using the following calculation: Length of liner = Length of pond plus 2 x its depth and add 10%; Width of liner = Width of pond plus 2 x its depth and add 10%.
  • Lay the liner in the hole, but do not stretch it too tight so it can expand. Make sure the liner is large enough to overlap the edges and is temporarily weighed down. Add a further layer of sand and soil mix over the liner once you have laid it to prevent its being broken down by sunlight.
  • Fill your pond with water, preferably from water butts or better still, if you create your pond late in the year, you may be able to allow it to fill naturally with rainwater. Once the pond is filled, and the liner properly settled into place, the weights can be removed and the edges covered by turfs to give a pleasing appearance and to protect them from sunlight.

Tools for the job

  • Pegs, string and or sand – for marking out the shape of the pond
  • Spade – for digging out the pond
  • Shovel - for digging out the pond
  • Garden fork - for digging out the pond
  • Wheelbarrow - for moving turf and soil