Cottage Life

A pond will add immensely to the landscaping around your cottage. Check out the picture to see what I mean. Best of all, building a cottage pond can be done for almost no money at all. This simple step-by-step guide will teach you how to do it.

I think there are as many opinions as there are people when it comes to building your pond, but I want you to understand how truly simple it is to do this project yourself! To have a pond, you will need a hole, a liner and water. Some optional things you may also want to look at are: stones, plants, fish, and maybe a water pump. You can finish this project in a few hours - up to half a day.

I’d seen these little ponds in books, magazines, and in other people’s yards, and I set out to find a way to build a pond of my own with little or no extra money. If you’ve ever checked out the pond kits, landscaping companies, garden supply houses, etc., you know how expensive the pond supplies are! They can run from a couple of hundred, to a couple of thousand dollars. Read on to learn how to build your own without breaking the bank.

The toughest part was coming up with a suitable liner. However, after calling around, I soon learned of a product called a “silo cap.” I’m sure you farmers will know exactly what I’m talking about, because these large pieces of plastic are used to cover a silo and keep the contents dry. They come in different sizes and thicknesses. The averages sizes are; 14×14, 20×20, 26×26 they are all generally 3mils thick, and are black plastic. The price can range from $6 - $15, and you can find one at any farm store. For me this has proven to be a great find! You can also check with your local large building supply store & find some inexpensive sheet plastic. I found a 100 foot length, 4mils thick for under $8.

The Hole
You need to pick a good location for your pond. You may not want to put it directly under deciduous trees, because they drop their leaves each fall, and this requires a yearly thorough cleaning. Partial shade is nice, because it helps discourage algae growth. Take a look at garden books, catalogues, nurseries, and other people’s gardens. This will help you decide what you like, and it’s good to think things through before you start digging! The size is up to you.

To dig the hole for your pond, first lay a string, rope, or garden hose around the hole-to-be. This will help you determine the shape. I think any shape other than a circle is more natural and pleasant to look at, but again this is entirely up to you. Then decide if you want water lilies, or other water plants. If you do want some type of water plant directly in the pond, you will have to dig it deep enough to accommodate the frost line in your planting zone. One thing you can do is create shelves in the sides of the pond out of soil to place your potted water plants on. Within the pond hole, you simply pile up soil and pack it into ledges that will fit a potted plant. This will of course then be covered by the pond liner.

If you have rocky soil, make sure to take the stones out before you place the liner in the hole. Most sand yards let you take sand by the bucket full for free. Then scatter the sand in the bottom of the pond to cushion the liner, and keep it from tearing on sharp edges.

The Liner
Lay the liner down and add some water.

We already talked about what kind of liner to get, so lets talk about how to place it in your pond. Lay it out over the top, then gently push the liner into the bottom of the pond. You can leave the edges intact, this will be of use later. Also if you buy a large liner, or have a small pond, it would be wise to double the liner. This will give you 6 mils of thickness or more, and a longer liner life. Next, fill the pond with water. As you are filling it, carefully position your liner to make sure it stays in place.

The Water
I use water directly out of the hose. Make sure to wait at least a couple of days to put fish in if you have city water. This will give you enough time to allow the chlorine to evaporate and the water to reach air temperature. If you do not allow this step, it could kill your fish!

The Stones
Now is the time to cover all those edges of the liner. Use any kind of stone or slate from around your yard. Place them around the edges of the pond to make it look as natural as possible, and hide the liner edges. There’s nothing worse than seeing a pond with large areas of plastic showing through! You could also carefully place some stones or pebbles in the bottom of the pond to give it a more natural appearance and a place for the fish to hide.

Plants
Pick the plants you love to surround your pond!
There are numerous types of water plants available today. Most are costly and and out of a tight budget’s reach, but lets go over some ideas for making your new habitat look beautiful frugally. First go to area ponds, swamps, parks, etc. and look at what is growing around the waterways in your area. This will give you an idea of the hardy plants in your area, and most of the time, owners of the waterway won’t mind if you take a couple of things. Of course, be sure sure to ask first if it’s private property.

This will give you some water plants free of charge! For planting around the pond, I love things that look tropical. I was able to get a few beautiful ferns from the woods - free. Also vines, ground cover, small evergreens, forget-me-nots, clover, day lilies, or whatever you have already, will look beautiful next to your water garden. Again think about nature here. How about cattails? They grow in almost all the ditches here! This would be another source of free plants for you.

The Fish
For my new fish, I went to the local pet shop and bought feeder goldfish, they only cost $0.10 each! They grow quickly, and may even breed in a good environment! Here in Muskoka our winters are very cold, but because I thought my pond would only partially freeze, I decided to let my fish winter over in the pond the first year. BUT this was not the case! My little fish froze solid right in the middle of the ice! They looked like fishcicles! OK calm down everyone To my amazement, in the spring when things started to warm up, the little guys started moving around! I could not believe my eyes! They were totally unharmed by the deep sleep! You need to decide how you will take care of the fish before you buy them. It is totally up to you what you do with your little friends. Some people bring them in the house, and keep them in a child’s pool in the basement.

A note on fish: Before you release the fish into your pond, be sure to leave them in the bag and float them in the pond for an hour or so. This will help their body temperature adjust. I do admit to losing a few, because I didn’t know this at first!

Pond Care
Try to keep all debris out of the water. This will cause the water to get smelly & might kill the fish. The water does evaporate, so keep it filled up as necessary. In the spring and fall, you can empty it if you have a small pond, or just use your hand to remove the leaves & things that have collected.

Other Options
You may want a pump for the beauty of a fountain, or merely circulating the water. You can get a small pump for around $29. A waterfall is easy to incorporate also.

* Use soil to build up the area where you’d like your waterfall.

* Line that area with a piece of the liner.

* Be sure to bring the liner all the way to the bottom of the pond & overlap it - if you don’t the water will drain out! The preferable thing to do is, make the waterfall & pond area with 1 piece of liner if possible.

* Connect a piece of plastic tubing to the pump.

* Bring the tubing up from the back of the waterfall - to the top. This keeps it out of view.

* Arrange some stones to make the actual waterfall. Make this look as natural as possible.

* Put the tube under the first rock so the water can spill out & run down the other rocks to form the waterfall.

I’ve had my pond for several years now and it’s still a source of beauty in my yard. We’ve had frogs, tadpoles, butterflies, birds by the flock, bats, hummingbirds, cats, dogs, dragonflies, and more show up to enjoy the pond! Just a few more of life’s precious gifts! Let’s take the time to claim a little part of earth for the enjoyment of ourselves and the local wildlife.

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