Barrel pond advice - line or not?

[Turkeyhen]

I'd like to create a mini pond using a hogshead half whisky barrel (bigger than standard barrels). The barrel is watertight but would it be advisable to line it? I'm imagining whisky leaching out into the water

Yes. I set one up without and it all went cloudy and ew so lined it and it’s lovely

@Billybagpuss thanks so much, so if I buy some pond liner and staple it around the top rim would that work?

That’s what I did, it been going strong for 3 years now, the only but I had issues with was building ledges and things to put the plants on but that’s because I was being a cheap skate and trying not to spend money.

Hello Turkeyhen,

If you are sinking you barrel into the ground then you may get some ideas from Geoff Hamilton who made a pond out of half a dustbin.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UV5zHmM5iAk&pp=ygUTR2VvZmYgaGFtaWx0b24gcG9uZA%3D%3D

If your barrel is watertight then I would not line it.

Happy gardening
TheSustainableGardener

Thanks for the video, I will definitely watch

I'm not sinking it into the ground, but will be providing ramps/routes for critters to get in and out.

My only worry about lining the barrel is that if the wood is dry it will shrink. They're designed to be wet aren't they? Could it work to fill it to the brim and change the water a few times before planting it up?

Hello again Turkeyhen,

You are right the wood is meant to be kept wet or it will shrink leading to a leaky barrel. To make it water tight just keep wetting the wood or filling it up keep it topped up until it becomes watertight.

Happy gardening
TheSustainableGardener

I enjoyed that video, lovely Geoff Hamilton.

I consulted a barrel seller about the to line or not to line question. They said to use unlined you need to fill then change the water several times before use and the water should then be clean and clear. I'm thinking of getting a wine barrel instead of whisky (easier to decontaminate?).

I'm not convinced...I thought whisky barrels were former wine barrels and part of the ageing process is them leaching compounds out of the wood?

I didn't know that - so much for my half baked theories 😂

If you line it, then it doesn't matter if the barrel wood shrinks slightly and is no longer watertight. The liner will keep the water in.