What should I do with the bathtub?

[Anon000]

There's a bathtub, in the ground, in the middle of my garden. The people who lived here previously must have had a pond, and now I have a stinky bathtub filled with probably poisonous water.
I don't want to make a new pond as dd would probably fall in it, and it seems like a lot of maintenance. Getting it out of the ground is taking forever. I've no idea how to get the water out of it while leaving it in the ground.
Any wisdom? I have no idea what to do with the blooming thing.

Could you empty it how you'd normally empty a pond (with a hosepipe) if you are rural?

It's a very small town back garden, I'm not sure where all that water should go? If I empty it onto my grass am I going to make some sort of gross bog?

I know nothing about gardening! Thank you

Lucky you! You turn it into a wetland garden. Fill with soil, full with water so
Soil is wet. Plant wetland plants. Sit back and admire.

A bucket to empty it?

And dig around the bath to loosen it.

Take a photo of said bath and put it on freecycle/Facebook as a gardener might want it for their allotment.

If not take it to the tip (when things get back to normal.

You might need to soak the bathtub soil in very dry summers but otherwise it should stay moist enough from an initial soaking and subsequent rain.

@hobbyhorsesrunfree I agree to be honest but I think op wants it gone.

Maybe you and your dd could make a smaller area for wildlife with a very small pond as you will be taking away an existing habitat

Google bog gardens!

Okay really stupid question, how wet is a "wetland" garden? Are we talking damp soil, or plants in a pond?
I like the idea but I'm worried about DD drowning mainly.

Empty with a bucket (or hose if you have a drain in the garden?) and just fill with soil if you don't want to dig it out?

This is what I'm working with. I appreciate all the help.

Have too got a drill bit long enough to drill holes in the bottom? That might start draining it?

No drill unfortunately. Would a bog garden need draining and fresh water? I assume the smelly stuff needs to go somehow, no matter what I do with it.

What about starting at the sides? Just under the water level to begin with?

Is there a plug?

It's possibly a cast iron bath. So at least a three person job to lift when empty. I'd go with the full it and make do option too .

You could get a suction device from Pets at home for when you empty a fish tank.

Is there a plug?

Sorry, but that made me laugh. Even though it is a good question.

It is bloody ugly, OP. I don't blame you for wanting it gone. Is there a drain in your garden? Can you just syphon the water out by sucking on the end of a hose and directing it towards a drain?

It doesn't look cast iron

I think bucketing out the water is the only solution

Oh I'd keep it op, it's looks lovely 😬.

Surely it must have a plug?

I would bucket the water out. And fill it up with earth and cover over. If you wAnt it done soon. You could pour the water into a drain rather than flood the rest of your garden if it's small.

Lidl has compost. And B&Q does click and collect. They are also selling off plants in bundles at the mo and you could plant it over with something nice.

I guess it must have a plug. Too scared to stick my hand in it though!

We have the same in our garden, it must have been a ‘thing’ once. We’ve kept ours because we have newts living in it! They like the silt at the bottom where leaves have fallen in and rotted.

sorry should have said this.

if you filled it up you'd have to treat it like a massive pot. ie it would need drainage . so plug out. And gravel, stone, chippings at the bottom and then earth as the worry would be it would get waterlogged when it rained.

Maybe the best thing would be to empty and clean it. And fill it with sand for the duration? As a sand pit? Is your DD little? With something to cover it overnight to stop cats. You could clean up the edges.

None of this is ideal but it could get you through the lockdown.

How about a bloody big shed plonked on top?

As it's sunk into the ground it's unlikely you'll be able to siphon it out (water has to flow net downwards, obviously).
You really will have to try to unblock the plug hole whatever else you decide to do, which will probably mean getting a lot of that nasty soil out. Order some long strong rubber gloves online.

I think the soil will recover if it's spread out to dry and air. Personally I'd then put some sort of 'crocking' in the bottom and then fill all the way up with soil, mounded up a bit on top so there's no room for any standing water and put in bog plants.