How to Build a Water Garden Pond

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A rope or garden hose
Shovel and optional pick-axe for digging
A pond 'kit' (details below)
Access to water for filling
Access to electricity for pump
Black silicone sealant

Step 1

Planning where the pond will be

POND LOCATION -- You can do this before you spend a cent. Select an area where you can see the water garden pond year round. We enjoy our pond in the snowy winter just as much as summer. Also, choose a site that will not wash rain runoff into the pond, which could carry fertilizers or other chemicals. Try not to put it too close to trees -- you'll have to remove any leaves or debris that fall in, and you want at least 4-6 hours of sun per day for your plants. I chose the area inside this garden wall I built for our pond.
Step 2

LAY OUT THE POND SHAPE -- Find a reasonably level area. Using a rope or garden hose, create the shape of the pond in the space you chose. My space was oblong-shaped, so I chose a 'kidney' shaped pond for that space. I also had a small stream and waterfall in mind, and this fit nicely into the shape. Try to build the pond as large as you can in your spot; a larger pond is easier to maintain and more stable. My pond is about 8'x11' and I would have liked it a little larger, but there was no more room.
Step 3

A water garden or pond kit

BUY A POND KIT -- Now that you have the exact dimensions of your pond in mind, you can buy a water garden pond kit that will match that size. The rubber liner can be expensive, so you want it to cover your pond area but you don't want to buy more than you need. My kit cost about $650 and included the liner, underlayment, skimmer/filter, waterfall, pump, hoses and fittings - everything I needed to set it up. I'll give you a link to the company I bought it from at the end -- they were very helpful and reasonably priced.
Step 4

LOCATE YOUR ELECTRICITY SOURCE -- If you have a waterfall or pond lighting in your plan, you will need to think about an outdoor outlet. I did not have an outlet close to where the pond would be, so I tapped off of one of the outdoor outlets on the house and mounted a weatherproof box next to the pond location. If you are not handy with electrical work, hire an electrician for this.
Step 5

I eventually dug that little penninsula out of the plan -- it took up too much liner

DIG THE HOLE -- Dig a shelf around the perimeter of the pond about one foot deep and one or more feet wide. The shelf will be for rocks and for shallow-water plants. The pond needs to be a minimum of 24" deep so that it will not freeze solid. I dug mine about 30" at the deepest part.
Step 6

POSITION AND INSTALL FILTER AND WATERFALL -- You should locate a waterfall, if you have one, opposite the filter so that water flows across the whole pond. You do not absolutely need a filter or waterfall, but it keeps the water much cleaner and you will be able to keep more and/or larger fish. You can see in this picture that I painted an orange box where the filter will be, and I have already buried the flexible hose from there to where the waterfall will be. Dig a hole where the filter will go so that the skimmer entrance will be at water level. The waterfall will be set at ground level (so the water can fall!).
Step 7

INSTALL UNDERLAYMENT AND LINER -- The underlayment protects the liner from rocks or roots. It can be cut and placed in the hole. The liner goes over that (and you don't cut it ;-). Try to minimize folds and wrinkles, but some will be unavoidable and they will compress with water in the pond. Note in the picture -- this is when I found out the liner would not fit with that 'peninsula' in the plan, so I pulled out the liner and dug that part out.
Step 8

ATTACH LINER TO FILTER AND WATERFALL -- Follow manufacturer directions. You will likely need to use some black silicone sealant to get a good seal.
Step 9

PLACE STONE OR COPING AROUND EDGE AND FILL 'ER UP -- I used stones I found around my house for the edges. Fold the pond liner up behind the stone to slightly above the water level and back fill with soil to hold the pond liner against the stone. Fill the pond to within a few inches from the top; make corrections if necessary to ensure that the pond is level. You can remove wrinkles and folds while the pond is filling. Start up the pump once the pond is full.
Step 10

The finished water garden pond -- notice the small stream and waterfall on the left

ADD PLANTS -- As soon as you can, add your aquatic plants to the pond. This will help establish the good bacteria needed to maintain clean water. Also, plants will take nutrients from the water and suppress the growth of algae. You cannot have a completely algae-free pond; some algae is healthy and natural anyways.
Step 11

This is the pond in its 2nd Spring - note the goldfish and established plants

ADD FISH -- After a couple weeks, the pond's water should be ready for a few fish. I just went to the pet store and bought six 'feeder' goldfish for $1. I didn't know if they would live or not, and didn't want to waste $$$ on expensive Koi or fancy goldfish. Three of the six died within a month or so. But the other three are still alive. This year, I did buy one Koi and three fancy goldfish at a pond store. I also bought some feeder guppies at the pet store and they breed like crazy in there! You will have to remove the guppies if the water temperature drops below 60F though. Now enjoy your new water garden pond!

Comments

Susang6 said

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on 6/19/2009 My husband has been talking about putting in another pond. We enjoy the one we have, but would want something larger. Your steps are easy to follow and the pictures are perfect. 5*