using a shovel to build the basin
Well, have you picked the location of your pond yet? I think a pond will go just about anywhere you want to put it. All the landscaping that is done around it can make it blend with any environment. Today I want to talk about making the basin. The basin is the pool of water which is the actual pond.
The easiest way to start, is to get a can of the upside down spray paint. This will allow you to spray the ground with your design and adjust it till you are completely happy with the shape and size. Now it is time to find several of your friends that love to work for food and bring them to your house with a shovel! There are two ways to dig the basin, the first is with a shovel. This is not a bad way of doing it, it is just time consuming. Be patient, it will all get done. The second is with a small backhoe. These can be rented by the day at the local rental stores. This is a good option also, but if you have never run one, you can mess up your basin pretty quickly if you are not careful. By using a shovel, you are able to detail the edges and really dig it to the depth that you are wanting.
When digging the edges, if you are not using a preformed liner, it is a good idea to leave a plant ledge of dirt to set potted plants on to get them up the water level that they like. A ledge basically looks like a step half way down the edge inside the basin. If you are using a preformed liner, than you have to dig the basin to match the liner. Don’t dig it too big, because it will be extra difficult to properly backfill around the edges.
When deciding on the depth, two to three feet is a really good average depth. Any deeper and it is hard to maintain, any shallower and the fish don’t have good protection. It is good to have the bottom as smooth as you can just for the ease of installation of the liner later in the installation.
The dirt that is pulled out of the basin can be used for the waterfall. We will discuss building the waterfall soon, so stay tuned.
Happy Basin
