A new home for our fish!
This is one of the longest breaks I have had between posts so far. We have been putting a pond in at home and it has swallowed up much more time than I expected it to.
We have a small pond already, and each year the fish increase in numbers and the babies grow ever bigger. It definitely was time for a larger pond as we lost two of the biggest fish last year in the humid weather. We were very sad about it and know that if we had increased the size of the pond earlier it may not have happened.
So we decided to set to a couple of weeks ago and went to the reclaimation yard to buy a dozen garden sleepers. They arrived the same day, which was incredible service.
Our garden is a bit up and down and mostly field grass so the ground needed to be levelled first so we could get the base down for the sleepers to sit on. We have built a ‘box’ 3 sleepers high, and the pond sits in the middle. The whole structure is 8 feet square and we have a shaped moulded pond inside it. Once it is full of soil we will plant alpines around the edge between the pond and the sleepers.
At the moment, after much hard work, we are at the stage where the box is built and level (always a hard part I find) and the pond is inset into the ground inside the box. We now need to fill the box with half sand then soil and compost for the plants. After that we need to dig out the electric wire that leads to the old pond and re-route it to the new pond position for the pump to be set up. Transfering the fish will be quite a long job as the water needs to be right before we do that.
But then our fish will have a new, bigger home!
Enjoy the journey.
Hi Mandy,
Glad to hear your busy and accomplishing things. The pond sounds nice. Have you thought about lilly pads in the pond? Creates shade and cover for the fish and the water stays cooler.
See you in class,
Jay
Hi Jay, yes, we have a variety of pond plants. That’s another reason for a bigger pond – they are now massive too! We are really looking forward to counting the fish as we take them out to see how many we have!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
Hey thats what i like to hear, you putting hardwork into some other project other than masterclass, i know you feel excited and great about the new pond as i did when i first built my Painted turtle set up, i was over the moon!
TTFN….Ed.
Hi Ed, physical work is always somehow satisfying, don’t you think? Last night I lined the sleeper box with plastic to stop small mammals getting in and making nests in the sand! Today we will get the pond in its housing and start to fill it slowly so it settles evenly.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
well done mandy just goes to show life dose get in the way.
but its all just a balancing act. like us going on holidays in a week and so much to do well done to you!!!!!!
Regards Adam,
Oh, a holiday, nice one, Adam! We are having a long weekend in August but our proper holiday is end of November/early December; ten days in Scotland – Bliss! Have a good time and come back refreshed, won’t you!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Mandy you are always so busy…hope the fish like the new pond…
Only joking…
although I have to admit to only liking fish with my chips
Steve
I suppose someone had to say it, and it doesn’t surprise me it was you, Steve!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, you always amaze me. Are there two of you? You seem to get so much done, fairplay to you.
Back soon my friend, take care.
Respect & Regards
Barry
Nope, Barry, just one of me, dedicated and disciplined though. Love your new blog post! If anyone hasn’t read it pop over to http://barry-wells.com/.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Glad you’ve got a new pond Mandy. Fish are very relaxing, and they will appreciate their new home.
I moved home after my divorce, and miss the pond we had there. One thing I didn’t realise though, is that the pond made the house more difficult to sell!…Nobody with children was interested.
Keep up the good gardening work.
John
Hi John, yes, I love the pond and the fish will be really pleased to have more space. It’s currently half full of water and settling into its sand bed. It takes about two weeks for the water to de-chlorinate so they will have to wait a while yet.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
We used to have a pond with fish, water lilies and all! It was always so peaceful to sit on the bench next to it … you inspired me to envision a new pond for our garden here in California
Many Thanks,
Svenja
Hi Svenja, yes, they are a super addition. I realise now I should have taken photos at each stage. Could have used it for another book!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy