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How Small Can Small Garden Ponds Be?
The definition of a pond in my Funk & Wagnalls is, A body of water smaller than a lake. Technically, from that definition, a glass of water is a pond. But for the purposes of beautifying the garden and helping the surrounding wildlife, even an old watertight barrel would serve as a small garden pond. Having a reliable, safe source of drinking water is an invaluable aid to all the wild creatures struggling to make a go of it as the jungle decreases and the concrete jungle increases.
No Limits
If you are thinking of helping reclaim wetlands or making a honking great lake on your property, may I suggest starting with small garden ponds? With small garden ponds, you can learn the basics without having to make such a huge financial and personal investment. You can pick from ready made small garden ponds that can be plunked atop the ground or dig a four foot hole with pond liner and add your own accessories and tools.
What All Ponds Need
Small garden ponds of any size need a few of the same things, such as:
A water pump or agitator to keep the water from becoming stagnant.
A filter, which can often be solar powered now.
A nearby source of water, even the garden hose. You dont want to be lugging buckets of water over hill and dale.
A firm edge. If you sink small garden ponds into the ground, the edge around it will get very muddy. You need bricks or stones to serve as a walkway. Keep checking the edges of above ground small garden ponds that they dont begin to crack and fray.
Water test kits. Clear water isnt necessarily safe water. Water testing kits are cheap preventative medicine for small garden ponds.
A place that will fit them.
A heater, if you live in really frigid areas.
Where To Get Them
You can get small garden ponds and all the equipment to set them up and maintain them from garden shops, hardware stores, large department stores that have a gardening section, aquarium supply stores and their online equivalents. Be sure to get a book or magazine about small garden ponds to help you with any questions that are sure to pop up down the line. There are many websites about the care and design of small garden ponds all over the web. |