Garden Pond 103

[gardengimp]

Oh the wild cherry leaves are falling
But the desert marigold is blooming
And Now that the dry season is here
Let us dig, let us dig a big hole

It doesn't show signs of raining
And the temperature is so relaxing
The time to grab our shovels is near
Let us dig, let us dig a big hole

When we finally reach three feet down
How will we fashion the wall stone
But soon the liner will go all around
All the fish are dreaming of a new big home

The sand is slowly moving
And my dear we're still a groovin'
But as long as you love me so
Let us dig, let us dig a big hole

Fall is in the air! Whee!

"So, Fish? Are you excited that construction has finally began on your expansion?"

Why yes, yes we are. While the rain was good for Florida, the weather delays were seriously cramping our expectations.

"Do you think you will be rockin' the new year in your new digs?"

Probably not. The contractors we hired are pretty nice folks, but they are dang slow. Always sitting down on the job or complaining about back aches. At least they feed us now and again.

"Which of you will be the first to venture through the tunnel when the far door is finally open?"

... Fish look around at each other .....

Tunnel? Door opening? What if it's a dungeon???? OMG, send that bully Rosy Red through first. He can check the place out for hidden obstacles before the rest of us venture in. In the mean time, could you up are daily rations? We might need energy for the big event. The bug population is declining and the water lilies are going dormant. What's a classy .27 goldfish to do?

 

[j.w]

That was fun singing along to the tune of Let it Snow,Let it Snow, and I did, I sung it out loud,lol!

Sounds like somebody has been hitting the Egg Nogg a little bit early........pretty cool tho, talking fish

 

[Fishylove]

Love it!

 

[addy1]

Fantastic!

 

[Mmathis]

 

[gardengimp]

Well, the trench reached the end of the road. Prematurely. Irrigation pipes found 2 feet before what we wanted to be the end of the pond extension. I know we could have moved the irrigation pipes (plural zones); but it didn't seem worth the headache for 2 more feet.

I think we will still be able to fish-see from the porch, just maybe not as up close. Must rethink edges and stuff now.

 

[Fishylove]

Will be very nice!

 

[sissy]

My pond sides at the top are done just like that concrete block I filled and packed hard with dirt and pounder rebar down through each one and then a retaining wall had to be added to the outside because of the slope in my yard .



I have the concrete block in pics covered by pressure treated wood so i would not see the block .Also so I could protect the liner that laid over top of it and hold the liner in place .There is now pressure treated wood on top as the painted wood just did not look as good .

 

[sissy]

This pic is that side now and the other sides were built up and evened off and retaining wall block was put outside the concrete block and back filled with pea gravel .Now am adding marble cheaps to make it brighter .

 

[gardengimp]

Hubby really wants a water wall, so the plan put together this summer was an "L" shape pond extension with an quarter-moon bog connecting the ends. The inside edges would need to be block to hold the weight of the flats as well as there is a "Florida" slope to the center on that side. A slope of all of about 4" total. So, that was the plan. I even found a pump that should have enough umphah to give him his water wall. Then he lost his job on Aug 1 and has been unemployed since. So, we are doing the expansion with just stuff we have on hand. We have a 10x15 piece of liner left from last winter. And I've got a spare 350 gph pump. The block was salvaged from another project. The rock re-purposed from redoing the edge of the garden. I figure putting the block in now will make adding the bog and water wall and the leg of the L easier at some time in the future.

This is my first time working with block. Well, this is also only my third (small) pond building. Pond 103, get it? I feel like I could write the guide for 'dummies guide for how NOT to build a pond'. I'm sure there are some mistakes out there that I haven't found ... yet.

Most of the pond is built in sand, with bits of clay showing up at about 30". Up near the house, I ran into fill. Muck fill. Go figure, 30+ year old contractor fill that is better quality soil than our natural sugar sand. So .... I've got the block in place and going to let it settle before I do any more work. I tried to disturb the sand under the block as little as possible, to minimize the settling.

I am planning to rebar in the block, as well as to hammer off the inside sharp edges and to caulk the seams. I'll sneak those chores in when I have a few minutes here and there. The big project for tomorrow is getting the roof rain drain drove under the sidewalk and diverted out into the yard beyond the edge of the new expansion.

 

[Fishylove]

You've come a long way Lookin good

 

[j.w]

Looks so nice!

 

[sissy]

so you are going under the sidewalk .You may want to change that opening to the center because that edge of the sidewalk still on solid ground may sink and crack the sidewalk or worse cause a trip hazard .Or you could use a solid pipe under the sidewalk to help keep it up where it belongs .It seems you have sand so it will sink even faster from weight walking across the side walk .I am not sure how solid your ground is and if you get any kind of freezing temps there in Florida

 

[Mmathis]

What a wonderful idea! I reminds me of being at a nature park or someplace like that. Lots of options & possibilities!

 

[gardengimp]

The worse problem around here with concrete is the oak tree roots. Concrete has been in place for 30 years, sugar sand is very well compacted. Until I start digging it up that is. Our driveway has already cracked into a zillion little pieces by a big oak tree. It's a live oak, and I like the oak much better than the driveway, so just leaving it for now. The sidewalk hasn't been even for years, tree roots again. I actually put the pipe under the slab section that needs to drop a bit. It still hasn't dropped though . :wacko: Not a dang bit. The pipe I drove under the sidewalk for the pond is 4" schedule 80. Pretty heavy duty stuff. At some point in time we will need to replace the driveway and want to go with something that is more environmentally friendly and water permeable. There are several interesting options starting to become available. Common goldfish aren't going to get too big for 4" pipe are they?

The 1 1/2 pipe for the roof rain water drain went under the sidewalk fairly easily. At least I didn't have to dig through a ziilion oak tree roots. The pipe, and electrical and a fish for future low voltage lights are under the sidewalk. Have to go out tomorrow for connectors to get that part of the job finished.

I used some old phone wire for the fish, and that gave me an idea. I had been thinking I had the side walls of the pond too close together. Measuring with the tape measure, but maybe not so accurate with bends and turns. So I marked a 10 foot section of wire and draped it around the end of the pond. Lots easier than hauling a big ole heavy liner in the hole. I even thought about making a pattern from some landscape cloth to test the dimensions. I really want to utilize the space I have for the liner as best I can. So, I have another half foot or so to play with. Yay! I can round off the end a bit more.