Anyone made a micro pond?

[grumpypug]

I am particularly thinking about one made from a washing up bowl / baby bath or similar. We have loads of frogs / toads and wildlife in our garden already and DS7 would love a pond but I'd like something relatively easy to look after. I've seen the videos of how to make a micro pond but would specifically like help with which plants, best time to install or any other handy hints for a newly interested gardener / wildlife person! Thanks

I have made a small pond- bit bigger than yours so do have some knowledge. Go for plants which are compact.

These websites are very useful: www.aizoon.co.uk/Pond/pond1.htm#What_plants_should_I_have_in_the_pond

www.devonpondplants.co.uk/

We've done this fairly recently but would also be interested in advice. The difficulty I've found is that tryng to get native oxygen plants, they tend to be sold in amounts which are far more than we need for our tiny pond. I know I just need to bite the bullet and get a bunch and waste some, but it feels wrong!

(Which, combined with massive things coming up in general life, is why said pond is currently a stagnant puddle. This thread may be the kick I need to get it sorted.)

The devon pond plant guy is really helpful if you email him and his website has lots of honest info about how big plants of all types will really get.

Thanks - I'll take a look at those links. I'm also on the hunt for a suitable bowl / container to get started!

More of a puddle no?

I've been thinking of doing this, so following with interest.

We have a bigger pond but have recently bought a half barrel from eBay as a secondary wildlife pond (the fish ate all the frogspawn this year!). Cost about £30 I think and looks really pretty actually! It’s currently got a flag/iris plant that kept falling over in the big pond and some oxygenating plants in it. It’s teaming with life already, including a frog.

This is probably a silly question - if you're using something like a barrel or a window box, how do you make it waterproof?

I know some people staple(/attach in some other way) pond liners into barrels but we tested ours and it seems fairly watertight. It was a whisky barrel so it out to be really!

I’d guess with something like a windowbox you could just plug any holes?

I'd love to do something like this. I have two kids (5 and 3) which puts me off slightly but having seen the one PP posted with the window box, hidden away, it may actually be do-able. 🤔

Daft question but are you guaranteed wildlife? Like frogs and things? Do they just 'find' your tiny wee pond? I'm in a housing estate surrounded by a couple of busy(ish) roads and beyond that countryside. Curious how much wildlife I could expect if I had a pond (big or small)....

Ive just made this small pool using a plastic water reservoir with a solar fountain, which isnt working yet.

I've just made one in a small tin tub. It's not meant to be the best container as the water temperature rises as the metal conducts the heat. It seems to be doing ok and the plants are thriving.

We've always had frogs in our garden and some have found their way to the pond

One now lives under the stone and pops his head up occasionally

I need one of these. I have several toads who appear to thrive in my compost bin but I do worry about them in the hot weather. I wont be able to sink my pond into the ground so would need ramps for the toads :)

Placemarking, it sounds lovely

Repurposed DS's sandpit with a pre-formed liner

Thank you Bob. The cat loves it as well and thinks it's his own personal outdoor water fountain.

He doesn't know froggy hides under the stone

I made a mini pond using a washing up bowl from Poundland, I did this as part of 30 days wild. I just got stones and made sure it had a ramp and some sticks and got a bunch of oxygenating plants from the local aquatics centre.
The birds enjoy using it for a dink in the hot weather and it’s attracting lots of bugs just no frogs or toads yet.

Sometimes froggy stares at me

I didnt knw they could breathe underwater either. We had a long Cotswold Stone wall and there used to be lots of frogs living in it which surprised me

I used to have a red storage container at my allotment full of water that had frogs in it. And newts. I didnt do anything apart from top up the water from the water butt during summer.