moneysaving barrel pond?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Hi all,
I would like to have a go at creating a barrel pond, with small children I thought it may be a safer option. I've been pricing up half barrels and even used they are quite dear. I've also put a wanted on freecycle in the off chance that someones got one.

Has anyone on here ever make one and how successful was it? I don't want to spend a fortune, and I would also like a fish or two in if poss.

thanks in advance

border_collie

How will you stop small children from falling in headfirst?

jammy_dodger

what a bout looking for a large plastic drum type thing that you could cut down to size then sink into ground to disguise it , much cheaper than wooden barrells and you may get one easier on freecycle as long as its well rinsed out before you introduce fishes and a few oxygenating plants ,,just a thought

Dunx69

doesnt matter what type of pond you have, wether its made out of a barrel or or black bin liners, you can drown in a puddle of water or less.

go for the cheapest option and teach your kids not too play with it etc.

JayneC

Hi,

I've made a pond with a galvanised tub - kind of an old fashioned tin bath effect but round(IYKWIM) - about barrel sized! Think it was from IKEA for less than £5 i think but that was a few years ago!!!

It's got a little fountain and some water plants in. OH says it's just a bucket of water but I think it's cute!!!

cjb02

I have half a barrel that I use as a pond. bought it last year or may be the year before anyway filled it with water. the only trouble was it kept going stagnant. I have not sunk it in to the floor but have it stood on a paved area. To get round the stagnant water I put a pump in and ran the water through a straw filter I hooked up. The water was fine then and I have plants in it. looks nice and quaint. Although girlfriend wants a larger one now.

carole.uk

friends have made them out of old baby baths ( must be able to get one on freecycle ) old sand pits especially the shell on;e with lids .. I would still advise getting some sort of mess cover,, better to be safe

daska

just a quick note about safety - Whatever you use as a protective cover must be stout enough that it won't sag into the water if a child falls or climbs on it.

LizzyB

Very true about drowning in the garden pond - our son did this when he was 3yrs, we resusitated him and he was thankfully fine - he was a gifted child until he was hit and killed by a careless driver a year ago - he was 13yrs.

Point being no matter what you do you can't protect your kids all the time - yes, take precautions with the pond, teach your child that if he falls in - he can stand up etc - but don't let fear of everything that can happen rule your life or theirs.

BTW we continued to have ponds in the garden - an electric sheep fence works a treat!
LB

daska

Ironically, a big pond can be safer than a small one. This is because there is less room for manoevering in a small area and a greater chance of hitting your head. It depends on the age and competence of your children and the adults supervising. It's all about assessing your personal risk.

Personally I wouldn't feel confident having a pond in my garden, but that's because I'm disabled. I fell into my son's cot and couldn't get out (yes you are allowed to giggle at the mental image this conjures up). If this had been a pond I would have drowned. I also nearly drowned in the bath on one occasion. But I am a very competant swimmer, in a larger area I could have righted myself and floated/got to the exit.

dogstarheaven

hi everyone, lovely day today!

anyway...
i'm after some advice on the best way on making a frog pond in a container. I want to do it as cheaply and as simply as possible (i don't have much DIY know-how, but i'll give it a go!)

my back garden is east-facing but with 2 large magnolias (lots of buds at the mo) so it's about 2/3 in shade by mid-afternoon for this time of year. i have 2 cats, 1 lively kitten and 1 not-so-lively, grumpy cat. i have 1 small water pump (tho' prefer not to use this if i can help it as i don't have mains outside, other than my outdoor light). i have a large bed in shade of the aforementioned trees filled currently with bluebells, and a concrete path and old brick patio. the garden's pretty small, i'd say about 15ft path with 5ft sq patio and about 6ft sq bed.

w/out breaking into the concrete path, is there a way of just having the container pond located on top of the path or does it have to be sunk into the ground? the container that i'm thinking of buying is plastic, quite flexible, 2ft tall and about 2.5ft in diameter which i've seen in tesco's for about £4. to save myself the hassle of having it sunk into the ground, i thought of making a 'ramp' for the frogs to climb in. would that be possible tho'?

Apart from my 2 cats, there is another thing i'm terribly concerned about and that is i live in the inner-city in a terrace house and most ppl's gardens aren't really being appreciated, what with rubbish dumped or just paved all over. Only round the corner, there are houses with bigger gardens and presumably some might have ponds in them, and I wonder if the possibility of those neighbourhood frogs would come over and visit mine one day this spring to lay their spawn? (i suppose i'll have to go spawn fishing soon - where to find any i don't know!). what's the likelihood of the potential frogs that'll grow in my pond will ever stay put or will they wander off and not survive due to the lack of safe places for them to inhabit.

am i wrong to suggest ever having a frog pond as i also have my cats to consider too? if there are other cat and pond-owning gardeners out there, then i'd love to hear from you!

i just want to help eliminate the slug/snail [roblem that i have in my garden, as i don't seem to have much success with young tender plants that i'll plant out in springtime.

any ideas or suggestions anyone?

xxxx