also the place is kind of like pines and sticks around and the dirt is sord of more powdery type. and i'm not planning to use any advance tools or anything. and its supposed to be discreet because i'm only 12 years old and i don't want to make it include other neighbours and people

You'll have to line the hole with something waterproof. If its just rented, I wouldn't invest in "pond liner". Try heavy plastic or tarp. Line it first with old carpet, cut in strips to protect the plastic. You'll have to make the hole big enough to hold all this and the water you want. Or buy a small preform pond - can also be epensive.

Under trees, especially pine, is very bad. Pine needles are very acidic and will throw off the water ph. If you're not keeping fish, this is less important. It will kill all the fish. Any leaves that fall into the pond, with fish, will have to be cleaned out right away. You will be constantly cleaning the pond if it is under trees. If you are just making a lily pond, no fish, again, it doesn't matter as much.

To keep fish, you have to keep the water clean and fresh. You can have a pond without a pump and filter, but you have to be even more careful about cleaning and do constant small water changes to keep it fresh.

If you want a lily pond, don't put a fountain or falls in it as lilies don't like moving water.

i'm looking more for amphibians, birds, and maybe a few reptiles. and i probably want to line it with some cheap common scrap thing, like maybe something you could find around the house. i could try come heavy plastic or tarp. do you have to line the bottom too? i want to keep it more natural-type so i can have rocks and stuff on the bottom. i could find some way to block out the pines and stuff and i don't really mind cleaning often that much. the pond isn't really rented, it's just my garden so i can't build it there. also i'm not really planning for growing plants because it would be more trouble and money unless i could just move some plants around.

Quite a few years ago, my husband dug a hole near our garden just to see if water would stay in it. It did, and there were several frogs that took up residence near it. Depending on the area, you may not need to line it with anything. But if you do have to, an inexpensive way to do it would be to use a plastic basin, tub, or other container such as one of the Rubbermaid ones. You can put some rocks around the edges after you've sunk the tub in your hole, just to make it a little more natural-like. And yes, you can move plants around, depending on what they are.

Good luck, Liam!

yeah, because there are lots of natural ponds and lakes which don't need lining. the bottom is more hard now and i think the water might be holding a little longer than before but it still seems a little crumbly and stuff and it can only hold for maybe less than a few hours or so, so i geuss i have to try out lining it with some plastic containers.

Liam, hunt around the house for some plastic. It could be a shower curtain, a plastic table cloth, even a garbage bag that you could open up. You might have to replace the plastic each year, but it wouldn't be very expensive. Perhaps you can walk around on garbage day and see a plastic basin or a wading pool that your neighbours are throwing out. A baby's bathtub would make a good size for a pond. I remember being twelve (in the 1960's). I watched a movie called the Secret Garden (the original version). I tried to make a secret garden of my own. I used tin cans set side by side in a circle and filled them with water and surrounded them with moss. Well, "I" thought it was a lovely pond and since it was my secret garden, nobody told me it wasn't lovely ;o) Your possibilities are as abundant as your imagination is vivid. Good luck. :o)

Liam, a good choice for a pond liner is any type of inexpensive plastic tubs. I got a 20 gallon tub, which is quite a nice-sized smaller-end pond, for only $4. However, that is much larger than the size that you descrived. Large plastic bowls (from Dollar stores) or washing bins or old plastic containers, they all work.

Good luck!

-Audric

Liam- you sound like a great kid, you have your own (rented) garden space. Most kids your age would never think of paying to grow a garden.

One thing that sounds about perfect for your pond would be a plastic dishpan. They are usually fairly cheap (or free), I bet if you asked around someone in your neighbor hood might have one, even if the rim is cracked or whatever, it should still work.

Then you can line the bottom with small rocks and maybe a larger one near one side or something. That way when a frog or something gets in the water it will have something to rest on and if the sides are steep it may help them getting in and out of it so they do not become trapped in the water.

If you have any problem finding something like this let us know. I am sure we can findsome one who lives close enough that could help out.

Also, is your water source fresh water, or does it have chlorine in it?

Vickey

Hi woulnt a pond without a pump to change the water contaminate it and be a mosquito breeding hole?

One or two "Gambusia" would eliminate any larva that dared to wiggle it's tail. A sprig of "Hornwort" would keep the water fresh. A pump is really only required to circulate the water, a lily pond does best without a pump.

Hello Liam, Today is Nov. 24th and I just noticed your Posting. I am very impressed with you. For a 12 year old you are very mature and grown-up. You had 7 different people from all over send you excellent information. Now, I am curious as to how your pond turned out. I have a 13 year old grandson, and he is also very mature for that age.

Did you take any pictures of your pond. I am sure everyone would be interested in seeing how it turned out.

I made a pond this year in my back yard and I didn't want any fish in it. I had my grandchildren, who live on a farm, gather me up some little frogs to put into my pond. They brought me 7 little ones, and we put them into the pond and they swam and hopped on the rocks that I put in the pond. But the next day, when I went to check on them, they were all gone. I felt so bad because we removed them from their home and brought them to my place and now they disappeared.

Anyway, if you took some pictures, I will be looking forward to seeing them.

Bye for now. Liz.

Frogs need more than water to survive. They need shelter so they can hide from predators.

What this means is that a tiny pond will not have any frogs in it unless there are lots of weeds growing around the edges.

You may still get tadpoles. In this case when the tadpoles mature they sense that they are not living in good habitat. When it rains they leave to seek a permanent home.

Frogs are picky! I had a healthy, plant filled pond for years and never had any frogs. :-(

Liam, I would like to hear how the pond turned out too.

Are you sure i could use a trash bag to use for liner

I like to build and garden i wanted to build a pond about 5ft long 5ft wide and 3ft deep. I also wanted to put a river that is hooked on to the pond on both ends thats 3ft wide that slants down thats about 3 ft deep.If anyone has any advice please post it and i will put the picture of it on here.

Sinceraly matt thanks

Hi Matt! I see your post is from the spring, but maybe you are watching for replies. Ponds are lovely and fun. They draw lots of wildlife to your garden too. I have a 13'x9'x3.5' deep pond and love it! I also have a turtle pond roughly exactly as you describe.
Here are a couple of pics:
From the top of the stream....

and view from the pond end....

These pics are after we installed an EPDM rubber liner and rocked the stream, but before we did much planting. The pond has a bottom drain and a filter - all the plumbing is hidden. However, the first summer we had it set up, we used plain black plastic sheeting for a simple pond as we tinkered with depth, placement, edging ideas, and how we wanted to handle filtration and the stream. First summer = very cheap and had it done in one afternoon. Just dug the hole and lined with an old blanket (padding) and 2 layers of the plastic sheet (1 for backup) then added water. Second summer = more work to install plumbing and drain, build stream, etc, and more money to purchase liner, gravel, plumbing parts, and edging.

All that said, I would like to throw out some thoughts:

A pond with a river requires a pump to circulate the water, which in turn requires available electricity and an outdoor GFCI electrical outlet (ground fault circuit interrupter - like you have in your bathroom so you do not get electrocuted). Also figure into this where the buried lines are on your property so that you do not hit one while digging! Ponders from pros to hobbyists are killed and injured every year in electrical accidents. BE SAFE!

In almost all ponds with waterfalls and streams, if there is a water leak, it is in the waterfall or stream area. Those areas need super good liner and design (rocks poke holes in the liner, plant roots or foliage can divert the water over the stream edge, the liner shifts under the falls, etc). Generally, the more complicated or elaborate the design, the more complications can arise in upkeep.

One of the most important factors is depth. A pond as you describe of 3' depth can be a lethal hazard...for children, wildlife, and pets. A pond with sloped sides can be an invitation for critters to wade in - possibly punctuing the liner - and eat fish, shred plants, and generally cause havoc. A pond with straight sides is dificult to impossible for animals and people to get out of - whether they got in intentionally or not! LOL

Depending on where you live, your city may have laws covering the size/depth of a pond, and your homeowner's insurance or city may consider it a hazard that must be fenced if it is deeper than an allowed depth. I remember one ponder selling all of his pond things because their little dog had gotten into their 18' deep preform pond (straight sides) and drowned. That was a terrible tragedy. But in Great Fall, MT just a few years ago, a 3 yr old girl drowned in her family's 18' deep pond/fountain when she slipped out the door as her teenage sister was babysitting. Talk about a tragedy!

Another thing to consider when looking at depth is: are you thinking watergarden with plants, puddle, goldfish (this size would not be healthy for koi at all) for summer only and then wintering in a garage or basement, goldfish for year round, plants and fish?

There is a fairly good forum here for ponds: Ponds and Aquatic plants. They also have an aquatic plant exchange. I will also include a link to my favorite pond forum below. If you have any questions or I can help in any way, please feel free to email me! I am certainly not an expert, but might be able to help or help you find an answer.....

Happy northern pondering all!
Jennie

Here is a link that might be useful: American Ponders