LL's Gardening Diary

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Cheshire Chick
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Sounds like you've certainly got a wonderful project though. You've described it so well, it sounds so interesting ... and it will be beautiful one day, I am sure.
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lancashire lass
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No more allotment plot - roll on Project Pond

Post by lancashire lass »

It's official now - yesterday I went to the council house and handed in my key to the allotment site and ended my tenancy. The council house is closed on Fridays so I was under pressure to finish clearing off the plot. I had booked some time off work (it's an annual thing at this time of year) so no excuses.

EDIT: I'm having problems posting piccies from photobucket so this is just the text version ....

The Thursday 21st June was a bit of a "rest day" but I pottered round the house and got on with some much needed housework. Then on Friday I started on my pond project. First of all I had to clear the old BBQ and various potted plants and troughs from the site of the pond on the patio. I had already lifted a test paving stone to see what was underneath (if it had been hard core then the project would have to be moved but as it was very sandy, I was hopeful it was do-able)

Then I lifted the paving stones - 25 in total (each being 40 cm squared, so the length and width of the pond should be 2 metre squared) I plan on digging down to at least 1.5 - 2 feet down, and also have a raised edge of about 1.5 - 2 feet high .... thus the depth of the water should be a minimum 3 feet but if I can make it a little deeper, even better.

But, the brick step down to the garden (and chicken runs) and the paving along the fence had subsided by about 8". I hadn't realised just how bad it was until the patio had been cleared - when I went down to the garden I would just carefully make my way to the steps. I needed the paving to be level (to build the raised part of the pond) otherwise the water level would make it look stupid, so Friday was spent lifting the edge paving stones and packing with the sand / ballast that I had started to dig out of the pond area (I'll do the rest of the patio afterwards)

Although it wasn't a particularly hot day (dull and cloudy), it was very muggy. I managed to get about 2/3rds done (the paving nearest the house are fairly level so I used that end as the basis for leveling the other edges) especially up to the brick step to the garden. That one was a challenge - there were 10 paving blocks cemented in a row so I had to move it as one big chunk .... trust me, it was very heavy!

I worked out that I had moved a total of 40 paving stones. Digging into the pond bit for the sand and ballast was slow - the spade and garden fork were not very effective and I got more lifted up using a garden rake. What I really needed was a pick axe. As it happens, when I was clearing out the allotment shed during my last visit, I had found some old tools (very old fashioned) that a previous tenant had left behind including a mini pick axe (literally a pick on one end, and the other looks like an axe) I tested it and it does exactly what I need it to, getting through some of the packed stones and loosening them enough to rake up.

I woke up on Saturday feeling very stiff and sore ... I had perhaps done a tad too much as I had wanted to get as much done as I could. So I did my weekly shop and rested up for the rest of the day.

On Sunday I could not face doing any more or even go to the allotment, so I called in at one of the local garden centres where I was told they had a big aquarium site (it's been years since I had been to the centre so I was curious) It was definitely impressive and much bigger than I expected. I discussed my pond build with the owner and he advised about the stocking levels and seemed to think I could have far more fish than I thought, including koi carp which I wasn't really going to have as I had read up that they needed a much bigger pond size (1000s of gallons whereas mine will be about 2000 litres) I am going to stick with my goldfish idea as they can grow quite big and come in just as many different colours and variations. I had already set up an old 36" x 15" x 12" tank in the house the week before and was keen to get some fish. They will be fine in the tank for a good few weeks while the pond is being built and settling down. So the new inhabitants are: (2x Canary Yellow, 1x (orange) goldfish, 2x Shubunkin and 1x Sarasa Comet

I will get some more later but these will be the first to go in the pond - I don't want to overstock it while it matures.. As you look down at the pond you really only see their backs so I aimed for different bright colours.

Meanwhile, the allotment clear out was starting to become an issue so on Monday I went to make yet another start on the shed. I actually did very well this time - instead of walking up and down the length of the plot to the car with stuff, I decided to use the vacant plot next to mine where I moved wood and other items and then drove the car along the track where I could load it in the back. I also bagged up loads of rubbish - LOADS of rubbish ... embarrassingly loads - it's as though I had used the shed as one giant dustbin and yet I don't remember doing that (there were lots of empty compost and sand bags)

I went to the allotment again on Tuesday for another stint, this time I took a big flexi bucket to retrieve the water lily and water hawthorn that I had bought last year and put into the allotment pond. I had put a few strands of elodea in the pond too and these had just taken off and some of it had even rooted into the pots of the plants so when I tried to lift them up, I also had a mass of elodea as well. I managed to take most of the elodea off and put it back into the pond (which is still full of tadpoles and other wildlife) and took the rest home. I later cleaned them up and sorted out but I had quite a shock - the plants are covered in tiny leeches. I really did not expect this and I was worried they might be harmful to fish so after cleaning the plants as much as possible, they are left now sitting in 2 big flexi buckets filled with water. The water lily was just starting to throw a flower bud - I hope I haven't disturbed it too much because I can't wait to see it.

I tried to find information about pond leeches online - a bit of a mix of responses. The most suggest that pond leeches are not unusual and they eat insects and larvae rather than attack fish but it wasn't particularly informative and I'd like to know more before putting the plants into the new pond when it is built.

The weather on Wednesday was atrocious - rain, rain and oh yes, even more rain. As we have barely had any rain for several weeks the gardens probably did need it. Yesterday it was still raining but more like a fine drizzle. As I knew I had to finish off at the allotment, I put my old allotment jacket on and got down to the site for 6.30 am. The task was to bring home the dalek compost bin and 2 water butts (one for the polytunnel, the other as a collection vessel under the guttering from the chicken run) What I didn't expect to find is that both were full to the brim with water .... I was so sure they were empty. I tried to tip them over but the weight was phenomenal so I needed to scoop the water out first - er, I had taken all the useful buckets home already. I managed to find something but it was small and cracked but still useful enough to start emptying the barrels. When down to about a 1/3rd full, I was able to tip the butts over and empty. It was a 2 trip session to get them all home.

I finished clearing out the shed at about 10.30 am and locked up for the last time. One last look at the plot - the yucca plant had thrown up 3 flower heads that were in full bloom and looking magnificent, and the rain water on the new fruit tree leaves had exposed a number of apples and pears. There were loads of raspberries and fruit on the blueberries and currant bushes were all ripening but I had run out of time. The council house was only open 11.30 am - 1.30 pm and I was filthy and soaked to the skin (it never stopped raining) and needed to get the last of my stuff out of the car into the garden.

So that's it. All done now although I might call in on Sunday when the gates are open and pop in to retrieve a big blue tarpaulin from the shed which I had left behind - I was leaving it for the next tenant but then I realised I had a use for it. I feel a little sad now that it is officially over. But I am also looking forward with getting on with the pond project - my new fishes need their new home up and running as soon as possible so that's my new task.
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Mo
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Mo »

When you go for the tarp will you pick the fruit too?
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lancashire lass
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by lancashire lass »

Mo wrote:When you go for the tarp will you pick the fruit too?


I'll have to be uber careful - the gates are only open for a couple of hours and I don't want to find myself locked in LOL. Also, the site administrator may already know that I have let the plot go although perhaps unlikely. I'll see how it goes.
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Mo
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Mo »

Well even if they know, there won't be a new tenant before all that fruit is wasted. (And reading back, I see that you've paid rent for the full year)

Now enjoy doing your garden in your own time and at your own speed (with as many tea-breaks as you want).
You put a lot into the allotment, but I'm sure the garden will be rewarding too.
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lancashire lass
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by lancashire lass »

Mo wrote:(And reading back, I see that you've paid rent for the full year)


Actually I'll be getting a partial refund for the remaining months (plus the £5 deposit on the key - a cheque to be sent in the post) but yes you are right, it is unlikely a new tenant will be taking the plot on so soon - if anyone goes to view it will be on a Sunday when the gates are open and the site administrator can direct people to the vacant plots.
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Mo
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Mo »

Will you have a veg plot at home for all the chicken waste?
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lancashire lass
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

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Mo wrote:Will you have a veg plot at home for all the chicken waste?


I still have the greenhouses and polytunnels so I can still grow some vegetables such as summer crops like tomatoes, cucumber, chillies and peppers but I won't be able to have a dedicated vegetable plot in the garden due to all the trees in the garden (the roots have spread out so far that it is difficult to dig the soil - one of the reasons why I took an allotment plot on in the first place)

The chicken waste will be composted (why I was keen to retrieve the dalek compost bin from the plot although I can still erect a pallet one if the dalek fills too quickly), or spread it out directly on top of soil like a mulch, preferably over winter so that rain will wash any ammonia directly into the soil where it will break down / eaten by earthworms.
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Mo
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Mo »

Raised beds?
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KarenE
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by KarenE »

LL, have you cycled your tank and pond yet? You will need to, otherwise you risk ammonia burn to the fish. Ideally you want to do a fishless cycle, and you can do that in the pond if not the tank (if the tank hasn't cycled you will need to do very frequent water changes to keep the ammonia levels from getting too high until the bacteria colonies are established enough.) If you haven't, you can get Tetra Safestart to boost the bacteria colony but you'll still need to keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels in the pond and tank

Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs!

Sorry to hear about the allotment, but it's fantastic news for your garden :-D
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lancashire lass
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by lancashire lass »

Mo wrote:Raised beds?


the trees are also shady - another reason why I wanted an allotment plot at the time

At the moment I just want a complete break - already I'm breathing a sigh of relief that I might actually get my house back and not have to store vegetables whether in the freezer or as winter store. The priority atm is to rescue my garden (and build the pond!) though you never know next year ....

KarenE wrote:LL, have you cycled your tank and pond yet? You will need to, otherwise you risk ammonia burn to the fish. Ideally you want to do a fishless cycle, and you can do that in the pond if not the tank (if the tank hasn't cycled you will need to do very frequent water changes to keep the ammonia levels from getting too high until the bacteria colonies are established enough.) If you haven't, you can get Tetra Safestart to boost the bacteria colony but you'll still need to keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels in the pond and tank

Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs!

Sorry to hear about the allotment, but it's fantastic news for your garden :-D


The pond is still in construction but already I'm thinking of getting the biofilter set up now even if its only to some crates stocked with plants in. I've been doing quite a lot of research about setting up ponds - and seriously looking at including some ideas like aquaponics and algae scrubbers.

The aquaponics bit will be an additional tank / small pond where water is pumped from the main pond and flows through a gravel bed before it goes into the biofilter -
I have a number of plants that were meant for the allotment but I never got round to them including dwarf Japanese bulrush, Fibre Optic plant, Corkscrew rush, Red stemmed parrots feather, Japanese Sweet Flag and Flag Iris - they have been sitting in containers of water on my patio (with a resident frog ... made me jump when I went to lift one of the pots up LOL) These will be planted in the gravel bed so should take up some of the ammonia / nitrates from the water. This link shows a basic design of how aquaponics are set up and this wikipedia link gives a lot more information about using aquaponics to grow crops (not that I'm going down that road as I would like to build a garden feature where I can relax on my patio - even when I open my back door, it's right there and can also be seen from the back bedroom window)

I'm not quite sure how to go about constructing a working algae scrubber into the system but it's a good concept - algae in ponds are a sign of high nutrients (such as nitrates) so an algae farm is sited where water from the pond runs slowly over fine mesh that is positioned vertically in a bright location and then flows back into the pond (I was thinking of directing it into the aquaponics bit) A mature algae scrubber can be so efficient it starves the pond of the nutrients and reduces unwanted algae from growing (well, that's the theory) There's quite a lot about algae scrubbers online but this site seems to have a lot of useful information.

The tank is fine at the moment - I had set it up long before I got the fish (I used to be a keen tropical fish hobbyist from being a young girl so I am familiar with the requirements - keeping goldfish however, is a new venture for me) It's taken nearly a week from them being overly-skittish to now swimming around with confidence. There are plants and a filter unit in the tank. I also tested the water and used an aquarium start up kit to start the process - the nitrates were a little high but everything else is in the ok zone. It would seem tap water is actually the source of the nitrates and is already high to start off hence getting the planting stations and biofilter (including a large water store like using one of the water butts) for the pond up and running as soon as possible seems to be the best route at the moment.
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by wildlifemad »

Hi LL. I bet handing back the allotment key was a weight off your mind in the end. Good luck with sorting out the garden & just grow the veg you like & at least you can pop in & out the house instead of loading the car up. Try not to wear yourself out though, it sounds like you have been very busy!!
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lancashire lass
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by lancashire lass »

wildlifemad wrote:instead of loading the car up


so true! I still have some more wood to scavenge (I need some more sturdy uprights for the pond and I've seen a couple of (medium sized) pallets that look useful) but it will be nice to lift the back seats up again and have a proper car back LOL

I've been doing some more research about biofilters - they contain nitrifying bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrites and another group of bacteria convert nitrites to nitrates which is then taken up by plants and algae as a source of food. However, it is a delicate system - without ammonia, the bacteria don't thrive. And it takes times for the bacteria to multiply in sufficient numbers to cope with the ammonia produced mainly from the inhabitants of the tank / pond. So it is recommended after setting up the pond to stock it with only a very few fish and wait until the bacteria has grown before adding just a few more fish - sort of incremental stages - spread over several weeks. At this rate it would be winter by the time the pond was mature enough and by then, the fish will not be feeding as much (poop as one source) so ammonia levels then drop (and the bacteria also slow down / die off through lack of food and also dropping water temperatures) This is a bit of dilemma for me. Hence the research.

What I could do is start up the biofilter now before the pond is even built. I've found some literature about seeding biolfilters and getting the various bacteria growing before ponds are stocked with fish (it was actually meant for large fisheries but the same procedure can be applied and scaled down for much smaller projects like ponds and fish tanks) It looks fairly straight forward - I'm going to convert one of the water butts from the allotment (it only ever had water in), pack it with old plastic netting (there were no pesticides or herbicides used) and connect it to a crate of water (which will eventually end up as a series of crates) using the submerged pump to move the water (oxygen is required for bacteria to grow) Key ingredients are dilute ammonia (which I can get hold of) as the bacteria food, and sodium bicarbonate as a source of carbon and to change the pH of the water (most bacteria die off when the pH is low which is why pickling food is a good preservative method) The crates in the system are for the plants to take up the nitrates. It's a little more involved than that of course but at least I have a plan!
Cheshire Chick
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Re: LL's Gardening Diary

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Have really enjoyed reading your recent posts LL. The pond sounds like it is going to be fabulous. Would love to see some pictures (if you can get Photobucket working). You certainly do sound like a very busy lady and I love your enthusiasm for the whole pond project. Good luck with it all, sure the fish are going to have a wonderful new home.
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lancashire lass
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Pond perimeter done

Post by lancashire lass »

lancashire lass wrote:I started on my pond project.

I lifted the paving stones - 25 in total (each being 40 cm squared, so the length and width of the pond should be 2 metre squared) I plan on digging down to at least 1.5 - 2 feet down, and also have a raised edge of about 1.5 - 2 feet high.

But, the brick step down to the garden (and chicken runs) and the paving along the fence had subsided by about 8". I hadn't realised just how bad it was until the patio had been cleared - so Friday was spent lifting the edge paving stones and packing with the sand / ballast that I had started to dig out of the pond area (I'll do the rest of the patio afterwards)


I had only got 3/4 round the pond perimeter before I had to stop to sort out the allotment, and since then I haven't managed to get back into it. Meanwhile, the goldfish are growing! I keep looking at them in the tank and thinking ... they are definitely bigger than when I got them. The Shubunkins in particular are developing long flowing fins (they were already showy, but moreso now) and they look so much more colourful too with intense orange, black and blue/grey. The tank doesn't look like it will be big enough for very much longer (the shop suggested 6 months - I think more like 2 months at most) so building the pond now is becoming a little more urgent!!!

I have been put off finishing the patio paving because it is very heavy work - alright in small doses, but not all at once - I seriously over-did it last time, a reminder that I'm not young anymore. Anyway, the perimeter is now done )c( I still have to do the rest of the patio but for now, I can get on with building the raised pond. The mini pick axe has been a godsend, enabling me to get through the ballast and chippings of the patio. I still need some way of raking it onto a shovel but I managed to use a small bucket and gloved hands and packed it under the subsided paving stones.

It didn't go all smoothly. As I put buckets of the ballast down, I used a heavy hammer and a piece of wood to pack it down and level off before putting the paving on top. I managed to miss the wood and hit a finger instead ... as I using force for the job, let me assure you this was very painful. Luckily it just caught the side of a finger nail rather than whole finger, so no broken bones but there is some black bruising under the nail but luckily not the nail bed.

In some ways I'm glad there had been a pause in the pond building because I've now got a building plan in my head. Water is surprisingly heavier than you think and the pressure in a raised bed was concerning me despite all my online research. I will be building wooden walls (with the pond liner over the top) - using a series of uprights with planks screwed on. I sort of gathered for myself that the weakest part would be the 4 corners where the joints are. Also, potential for bowing between the corners - this is probably what causes the corners to give way. I thought I'd get round that by having uprights inside the pond (like fence posts) to which the planks will be screwed on, so the weight of the water below the patio level should push against the upright and prevent it from pushing it over at the top bit. I'll still make sure the corners are bolted together properly, but I can visualise it now so have a plan! I just need to get on with it!!!!!
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