Creating a backyard pond without the use of chemicals is all about using running water and life forms to maintain a kind of pond equilibrium. A balance of fishes, frogs and plants and people and moving water.
Ponds without a water source are not natural.
Without a human helping, the pond will end up being a big green puddle of muck.
Maintaining a pond naturally without wasting water became a challenge in itself. My favorite kind of challenge actually. We have a little waterfall and a pump that runs the water through a filter and back out to the waterfall. The filter is cleaned every day – with the hose – I clean the filter in the trees so that cleaning water waters the trees.
We hooked up the gutters to a system that siphons any rainwater from the roof to the pond so when it rains the pond is replenished, I open my little floodgates and let the excess water run out into my runoff garden.
But it has not been raining.
And there were one or two hot days.
So the pond began to complain.
So in the absence of rain, I got permission to puddle about with the pond ( this is John’s pond – one does need permission but I really don’t want a pond dependent on those chemicals and dyes – it is not organic or self sufficient or sustainable) so I have re-established the run off pond. The theory is that I open my pretend floodgates, (Can you see the raised flap of pond liner – held up with a plank and two rocks – kiwi ingenuity at its best. ) I run water out for about ten minutes, then I replenish the pond with clean well water. I do this every few days, and the pond has cleaned up beautifully.
The run off water runs down a channel to the run off pond which is really just a low bit of ground.
But we must not waste the run off water. So I am developing a food garden around the run off pond.
One thing leads to another you see.
Watermelons and pumpkins love lots of water. So they get a good water every two days. Plus there are native iris and young trees down there too. I had a native hibiscus that grows along waterways but I lost it. It may still pop up.
The channel running down to the run off pond/garden. (below)
Do you remember digging channels by the river or on the beach when you were a kid, leading the water along. It is the same premise. And still as enjoyable. I am digging little channels so when I run the green water out it goes down and waters the pumpkins and watermelons and tomatoes and now I am digging a little side channel to the tomatoes! And planting along the channel.
Can you see the larvae below? Food for the fish. The water lettuce is still in a cage – it is so small it would float straight into the filter.
Of course someone is horrified at my little irrigation ditches – how can he mow? Just like those men in the graveyards – it is all about the mowing.
I have glimpsed the fish a couple of times so they are doing ok in there, helping to establish my aquatic ecosystem.
The frogs, as ever, are doing marvellously. They need the pond (and my ditches) in this dry weather.
The brains behind the mower. Broken Wing and Vandal plotting a takeover.
I mucked about with the pond so long that Vandal took my seat on the mower.
Really perfect farming conditions.
I hope you have a great day.
Celi
PS – the barn swallows are still alive and growing. Even pecking at the flies that land on their bread banneton nest. One or two fall out at least once a day and I just put them back. (an oval basket is not an ideal nest but we work with what we have). So Mama and Papa must still be feeding them! (which means I still cannot fix the hole in the top of the netting – I am sure that is where they are flying in and out).
The Kitchen's Garden 
31 responses to “The Battle of the Pond”
All ancient irrigation comes from diverting rivers and streams along channels between crops. It’s still very common in the Alpujarras – mountain villages in Andalucia, on the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada.
Yes! It is a very ancient method and so deeply satisfying. I was thinking I could use this to grow rice out here next year – what do you think?
It’s definitely worth trying. Native American harvested wild rice all the wasy up to Canada. But if you want a good harvest, you need it to be quite wet. Can you divert water from the river?
No _ there is only the ditch.
There is a variety of black rice – native / that does not need too much water. I want to do a trial for our farmers – usually we have a lot more rain than this.
Yes, I remember you saying the land is reclaimed swamp or similar.
They mention Upland Rice here:
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-rice-in-buckets-4847004
Very nice! You do good stuff there, Celi. I think our rain is starting to head your way. We need it to go as we are in haying season. 🙂
Happy to take that rain off your hands!! It is getting dry here.
It’s heading your way today. Ruined out hay yesterday so now off to somewhere else
We don’t have hay down so it probably won’t hit us! 🥹
Probably. I do understand
We are already into alerts over wild fire danger. That typically doesn’t happen here until August at the earliest. Your ideas are ingenious and so sound in the simple way you can tie one aspect of the farm into another. I am a bit surprised that John is put out over his mowing adjustment. It is a farm after all and a partially rewilding one at that. Is a lot of mowing truly necessary, especially in that area?
Not at all. But he can mow sitting down and then say he has been hard at work.
If it were my property alone I would just mow tracks and pick out the nasty weeds and let the rest run wild.
Rural people here love huge yards of mown grass.
It’s so lovely! I may have to rethink my backyard!
What would you do Dorothy?
Tuck a little pond in perhaps, at least a little fountain. There is something so restful about the sound of running water.
Yes there is. It is the loveliest sound. There is safe feeling in running water.
I love how one thing leads to another, and no harm is done
What a lovely reframe. Thank you Beth!
I love this kind of one thing leads to another project… as they inevitably do. My handiwork is never up to scratch but it works. I laughed when I read your sentences about the mowing. We were tidying up the big [overgrown] front garden yesterday… with its numerous thorny tangly unkempt roses, and the comment was made by my offsider who to be fair was doing most of the grunt work that he would have only lawn he could mow without all this stuff to get caught up in. Insert scratch wounds & swear words. Always the battle between the groundskeeper and the gardener 😂
Well it’s very challenging with this drought ~ we’ve only had .3 1/2 tenths for a long time ~ so I’ve had our well working on the sprinklers. But I also know it could be be much worse. So I’m thankful for whatever.
Thinking of all of the farm animals. Now I’m beyond words of the horrible situation in Ukraine where all the cattle are drowning in the dam being bombed- prayers n prayers are needed.
Love the pond system. Cleaning the filter under the trees and draining out to a food garden not o my waters but fertilizes as well, all that muck and algae decomposing would be a wonderful fertilizer. Vandal really does look like he is plotting a takeover.
We made a pond about 20 years ago out back. We added an upper “stream” that the water flows down back into the pond after it goes through an old pool sand filter (half the water – the other hand goes to the middle of the pond up an abs pipe like a fountain). I can backwash this sand filter into my garden to clean it. The stream is lined with Rocks and plants that help clean the water….. and makes it easier for the birds to have a drink. The key is to keep the water flowing and adding some oxygen, like with bubbling water/fountain. The native bullfrogs, fish, insects love it as well as several goldfish I add.
Yes – I love that you have a sand filter- our waterfall water runs constantly too unless we have a power outage. Is your electricity or solar? I am thinking of investing in a solar fountain.
Electricity. The pump would take a major solar unit to run, so not cost effective. I’ve seen those solar fountains and they look awesome. We get power outages often enough that a solar fountain would be helpful.
Yes. I am still thinking about it.
I’ve found in the past that pond run-off is excellent for kick-starting compost heaps, as it contains lots of very lively nitrogen. That lovely green stuff is useful for all kinds of things, just not a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
I am planting the watermelons today. I think they might be a winner!
Water lettuce and water hyacinth do a GREAT job of using up the extra phosphates that can lead to algae issues.
I have the water lettuce but it is not growing right this year. It seems to be trailing a lot of algae with it and just not growing in size. Maybe still too cold! I don’t know. Is the water hyacinth floating? I will look it up. This pond does not have a dirt bottom. My frogs would love some lily pads!
Water hyacinth does indeed float. I do think it’s unseasonably cold right now, and nothing is growing the way it really should!
We built a wetland at our new facility. We used concrete because it’s long-lasting and easy to clean, etc. Within a month, we had 30 different species of creature living there – from water bugs to frogs. If you build it, they will come.
Just wondering whether those ‘larvae’ are Frog or Toad Tadpoles? (I have always loved tadpoles: )