Guess who is out having fun? (It's ME!) Planning wildlife pond for backyard

[j.w]

LOL, yep it will sure give you something to do alright

 

[GBBUDD]

since I haven't saved enough for rocks yet,

If you have purchased the liner i would place it in the hole for the pond to help control the amount of water in the pond it should help keep the sides from collapsing. getting a perforated pipe in the bottom will help as well .

 

[bagsmom]

Actually @ GBBUDD, the water isn't running, leaking, or seeping into the pond. All with the pond itself is great. And the sides carved out of this Ga red clay are like concrete. Solid, solid, solid. That's why I have to use a sledgehammer to get through it. For the rain falling in from the sky, I have a giant plastic drop cloth and I just pump it out periodically. Nothing is running in, thankfully. All the stuff to do with the pond itself is going fine. It's the general hassle in the rest of the surrounding property that is the problem. And me taking up space with my pond is making water pool up in other areas. Now it is more of a "put the pond on the back burner and deal with things that should have been fixed 18 years ago" situation. (I much prefer doing the fun work - the pond. Not the work work. Blech.)

 

[GBBUDD]

Ga red clay are like concrete. Solid,

i was not so lucky ... my sides began to give way under the patio which is one of the reasons why i built the cinder block wall

 

[bagsmom]

i was not so lucky ... my sides began to give way under the patio which is one of the reasons why i built the cinder block wall

Oh no!!!!! Yes, when I'm trying to fracture through this ground, and grumbling the whole time, I try to remind myself that it's actually a positive, in spite of all the work. It's very solid.

 

[GBBUDD]

you can always get a small hammer drill and place a spoon or a chisel point that will make the job a lot easier

 

[bagsmom]

I thought I would post a few pictures of the situation. In dry years, it's a non-issue. When it's super wet like it has been, it's a mess!! Prior to me digging the pond, that whole area would be squishy. Now that I have the pond there, and have a little berm around it, all the run off goes right where we want to walk.

 

[bagsmom]

I am using old towels and things to keep my dirt piles from washing away in the rain. The backyard looks like a JUNKYARD and the husband is not thrilled in the least. At least no one can see it! One day, it will be beautiful. Just not today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day.

 

[bagsmom]

In the area in the second picture, I plan to plant "rain garden" type perennials that will thrive in either wet or dry conditions.

 

[GBBUDD]

In the area in the second picture, I plan to plant "rain garden" type perennials that will thrive in either wet or dry conditions.

what are those black stacked plastic piles next to the covered grill in the first pic?

 

[bagsmom]

what are those black stacked plastic piles next to the covered grill in the first pic?

Those are the aqua blocks that will go in the bottom of the intake bay. I have them assembled so I can use them to properly size the hole I'm digging.

 

[bagsmom]

a better picture...

 

[GBBUDD]

I thought so are you planning a bog as well with blocks

 

[bagsmom]

I thought so are you planning a bog as well with blocks

I'm going to have a bog but it will be filled with rock, rather than blocks. It will only be 2 (ish) feet deep, so I think I will be good with just the rocks.

 

[Phaewryn]

I am using old towels and things to keep my dirt piles from washing away in the rain. The backyard looks like a JUNKYARD and the husband is not thrilled in the least.

I had a tarp as a yard all last fall...where people could see it. You have to do what you have to do.