Reading a post on another blog, I discovered there was an easy way to add pond life to our garden. We could make a mini pond. My trio love pond dipping, and AcornSTEM’s post was fantastic with its step by step guide. It was a real incentive to try and do this myself. I researched it a little more first, and came across the RSPB’s own guide “Create a Mini Pond”. It reassured me that it was a good time of year (spring) to make one, as we’d see it develop quite fast in the next few months. It can be made at other times of the year too, but it would mature more slowly. So, I got my thinking cap on for a tub that could be our pond, and planned to do it the next day with the trio.
How To Make A Mini Pond:
- Find a tub: I found an old bucket with a broken handle that we didn’t use for anything, and thought that would be perfect for our mini pond.
- Choose a location: There were a couple of factors that needed to be considered with this. First of all it doesn’t want to be in a place where the sun will shine on it all day long, so sometimes sunny, sometimes shady is good. Secondly, it needs some vegetation around it. So if there is none when you plant it, be prepared to pop some in afterwards. The vegetation will provide cover and perches for wildlife. Our mini pond area has some old tree stumps around it, and is in a newly made flower bed. So, although it is a work in progress, there are imminent plans to grow things there once our weather in Sweden warms up a little (you can see our spring bulbs just peeping through). Thirdly, it needs to be in a safe place, as even a small body of water can be a hazard for small children (she says with a massive old well in her garden!). I have placed ours somewhere where the trio aren’t supposed to walk (a flower bed) with perches in the form of the tree stumps to provide a more mental barrier to it as well.
- Dig a hole: We dug our hole, and stuck our bucket in. We left it sticking out a few centimetres so any mini beasts that are land dwellers, shouldn’t accidentally bimble into it.
- Place rocks in the bottom: We have a lot of rocks in our garden, so I sent the trio off to find 3 or 4 large ones to place in the bottom of the pond. This will give any mini beasts some hiding places and cover if they require it
- Find a large stick: Next in was a large stick/branch reaching up from the rocks, out onto the tree stumps. This is an emergency exit for any land dwellers that do accidentally stumble into it, so they can climb back out again.
- Fill it up: You can do this with tap water, but it will take longer to be colonised due to the treatment it undergoes. Luckily we have a water butt full of water. I also want to shift the said unsightly water butt from its current location, but am unable to due to the fact it keeps filling up with water, and I haven’t got round to scooping it out yet! Today we made a start on scooping the water out, and carrying it over to our mini pond. Do not be tempted to fill it with pond water from another pond, as you are making those mini beasts move house!!
- Decorate it: After that was all done, we decorated around it with some more of our surplus rocks, and now will just sit back and wait to see if it starts teeming with life! Hopefully, in a few weeks I will have a positive update for you!
************************please be aware that even small bodies of water provide a hazard to young children, so do not leave them unattended with the mini pond*****************************************************
Comments 39
This looks fantastic, I’m glad you gave it a go – ended up nicer than the original! Thanks for the mention 🙂 We have been having to put back the pot sherds around ours and keep topping it up, turns out to be the allotment badger’s new favourite place to have a drink and snuffle around for worms.
Author
That sounds like fun, even if it wasn’t the use it was intended for! You’ll have to set up a badger cam to watch them. Thankyou for the great idea 🙂
What a fantastic pond! We used to have a pond in the back garden at my Parents house and it was brilliant for wildlife spotting. We loved to watch the tadpoles and then later the frogs. Such fond memories in my childhood
Author
Yes, so did I and I lived watching the frogspawn turn into frogs
I remember doing this when I was younger a lot, I used to love making mini ponds!
Author
It is so easy to do as well, they loved it
Such a good idea! Might have to give this a go!
Author
It was so quick and easy!
What a great idea, I think I might need to find a space in our garden for a little pond.
Author
Fingers crossed we see some wildlife move in now 🙂
What a fabulous idea! I remember as a child being fastinated with tadpoles and going down to our school pond to watch them change from tadpoles to frogs. Can’t wait to do that with Max and Emmie! X
Author
Fingers crossed we get some wildlife in it!
What a cool idea. I would never have thought to do something like this. X
Well done for making your own little pond. I wonder what you’ve got in there now! My friend made a really pretty pond in her garden using an old bathtub last year 🙂
Thissoundslike a lovely project to do together and learn more about the environment. #LittleMakes
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Yes, plenty of casual learning going on 🙂
Great idea. Might have to do this when my girls are older. #littlemakes
I’ve never heard of this, such a great idea! Oooh hope you get frogs visit!
Author
fingers crossed!
What a fantastic idea! #LittleMakes
This is such a great idea especially for city life or smaller gardens and even though I know you still need to be careful it is definitely safer than a big pond! #littlemakes
Well done! What a great idea, and super easy too. I’d never have thought of trying something like this out.
Author
The easiness is the beauty of this little project making it perfect for small hands
This is such a lovely idea we had thought about creating a little pond in our garden a few times – I’m going to start thinking about doing it again now that spring is coming!
Author
It is a perfect time!
This is so cool. What a lovely way to get kids interested in nature.
Author
They really enjoy it
This is such a cool idea!! I want to build a mini pond in our garden now. I know the boy would love it and it would be a fun way to get the boys outside in the garden more often xx
Author
It is fun watching what moves in 🙂
This is a fab idea, I hope you get lots of visitors to your little pond. Mine would have loved to do this when they were small.
Author
Thankyou!
Ponds are very nice! I think they always add a sense of tranquility to us and our environment! I’m sure you will enjoy having one in your garden 🙂
Author
Thankyou!
Great pond! I wish we had our own garden so we could set up a pond too.
Author
It is a good idea for small places. If you have any small amount of outdoor space you could still try maybe
How cool is this! Such a fab idea and looks like a fun idea to do for sure xx
Author
It was so easy to do
What a great idea and way to get the children out and in the garden. I might try this thank you. We have many aquariums in our home but i love natural wildlife ideas like this and insect homes etc.
Author
I hope it works :-). our three love ours