Filling in a pond

[Mercedes]

I've taken on an allotment with 2 friends. We've decided to get rid of 1 of the 2 pools. The pool is probably about 3ft deep and 4ft wide approx.

We want to part turn it into a raised bed and a place for a sandpit. Because we plan to grow things on it does anyone have any ideas what we should fill it in with? we did talk about buying soil and compost etc but that would cost a lot and what about drainage?

Rest of soil in allotment is clay and more clay if that useful.

No idea Mercedes - but I envy you your allotment and the time to do it....

Does the pool have walls (ie. is it some old tank of some kind, or lined with pond liner ? Or is it just a hole in the clay ?

You may well find it is home to a thousand little beasties including, perhaps frogs and newts, so maybe it is infact desirable ? If it's raised you may rue the day you fill it in when the peak of Summer dries out your harvest, or a hosepipe ban is announced !

Anway, presuming you want to get rid of it, yes, you can just fill will soil. You won't need the depth for planting (unless you're trying to enter longest turnip type competitions, so you could lose rubble etc. in the bottom.

Buy soil you need from a trade / bulk supplier. About £30 a tonne (1m cubed), can be delivered bagged, if you have good access or strong biceps

Around Crews Hill / London / North of... lots of people use Thompsons of Crews Hill £10 for any delivery any size within their area...

It's got pond liner with some bricks at the top to edge it.

I do know what you mean about losing a pool but we've still got another one and we've got toddlers on the site so we want to minimise risk while not being too cautious.

Builders use this metal grid stuff when casting concrete. It's called metal reinforcing mesh I think.

You could cover the pond with this perhaps ?

You can leave the liner in, and just fill with soil. You will create a damper microclimate.

For drainage you could either use a bucket, a pond pump with a pipe attached to the outlet spewing water to the side, a pumping attachment connected to a cordless drill if you have no power, or you could simply pierce holes in the bottom / side with a fork, and water will (eventually) leak out into the soil. It is conceivable, if you are on clay, and the hole is deep, that the water will be retained in the soil though and you'll still have a pool of water !