Starting A Pond From Scratch

Since this is a beginner’s guide to building a pond we are going to keep it simple and take you through the various stages of installing a basic garden pond. This guide is designed to help you get your head around the things you will need to get and to give an overview of the steps you will need to take, if you want to install a pond for the first time. We are aiming this at all you people out there who are interested in owning a pond but do not really know where to start. Once you have committed to installing a brand new pond we highly recommend you purchase Guide to Garden Ponds by David Papworth, which provides an in-depth, yet, easy-to-follow guide to constructing, stocking, and maintaining a garden pond through the seasons.

Consider the following points, intended to guide you through planning and preparing for a pond installation:

Think about exactly what it is that you want out of a pond.

• How big do you want it?
• Do you want to keep fish or just have plants?
• How deep will it need to be?
• Do you want any decoration or a water feature?

Plan where you will site your pond. This is a very important step both aesthetically and practically.

• How the pond will interact with your garden and where can it be seen from.

• How much light will it get? This will be more or less important depending on what types of plants and fish you decide to have.
• Trees will drop leaves and other debris which need to be regularly cleaned from your pond. Although you can position your pond under or near trees, it is advisable not to in order to significantly reduce maintenance requirements. Large tree roots can also penetrate and damage pond liners including concrete construction.
• Stay away from low-points in your garden where possible. Run-off from rain water, fertilisers, pesticides and other sources will gather in these places and will contaminate your pond water if the pond is sited where they collect; this can cause harm to your pond’s ecosystem.
• Are there any buried utilities, such as gas and water pipes or electric cables? Check this with the local authorities- you do not want to accidently hit a buried line as it could cause serious, if not fatal harm.

Now we are going to look at how to correctly dig and line a pond. Getting this stage right first time will save you a lot of stress and additional costs- so take some time and work your measurements out correctly before you start.

The first thing to do is mark out your desired shape and size using a length of rope or hosepipe. This will help you to visualise your water garden, or fish pond; giving you a chance to make any necessary revisions to size, shape or location. Once you are happy, cut a thin groove into the turf to mark out the outermost perimeter of your pond (you may wish to have varying depths in which case mark these areas out too).

Now you are ready to measure for your underlay and pond liner. Bear with us because this next bit is a little mathsy, but it is important- if you order your liner too small you will have to buy a whole new lot. To work out what size liner you will need use the following equation:

Metric: (length + (2 x depth) + 50cm) x (width + (2 x depth) + 50cm)

Imperial: (length + (2 x depth) + 20”) x (width + (2 x depth) + 20”)

Be sure to measure from the longest, widest and deepest points (imagine that your pond is in a box and you are measuring the box rather than the pond).

Example (in metric):

Length= 3m

Width= 2m

Depth= 0.6m

So we put those dimensions into the equation; remembering to input the 50cm as 0.5 since we are working in metres.

(3 + (2 x 0.6) + 0.5) x (2 + (2 x 0.6) + 0.5) = 4.7 x 3.7

Meaning you would need to order a 4.7m x 3.7m sheet of pond liner.

Right that is the hard bit over! Now you know how much pond liner you need to buy let’s have a look at the options that there are available to you.

The main decision you will have to make is whether to go for rubber or PVC liner material. Both are viable, hardwearing options: rubber tends to be a little thicker but slightly more expensive; however, it really comes down to personal preference. We tend to fall on the side of the rubber liners such as OASEfol E.P.D.M. or Epalyn Rubber Pond Liner; but feel free to drop us a comment if you want some advice tailored to your individual circumstance.

We also highly recommend that you put down some underlay, as this will protect the liner from sharp stones, small roots and other debris in the soil which could tear it; it is also a requirement by liner manufacturers that the liner is adequately protected. We stock Prolene Pond Liner Underlay as its geotextile material is stronger and easier to lay than felt options.

Once you have ordered your underlay and liner it is time to dig the hole. First remove the turf and top soil and keep them to one side (this can be used to tidy up the edges once you are all finished), and then dig out the shape you have chosen. When you have finished digging, carefully remove any sharp stones etc. from the bottom of the hole and you are ready to line your pond.

Put down the underlay first and cut it to shape, making sure you press it firmly to the sides and bottom of the hole. Do the same with the pond liner itself, weighing the edges down with stones and trying to avoid too many folds and wrinkles (a few is unavoidable).

Now you can start filling your new pond with water, smoothing out any wrinkles as it fills. After this step you need to let the whole thing settle for a few days; so crack open a beer and admire your handiwork!