We have a pond in our backyard. I don't know...maybe a an acre in size. I am so thankful for it, we have these visitors every day, and I NEVER take it for granted! We have the frogs singing away now....something I spend all winter looking forward to! There are also snapping turtles that live there, and usually around the beginning of June they come into the yard to dig their holes and lay their eggs. I'm so thankful to have this.... we have the occasional sandhill crane visiting too. I'm always taking pictures of the canadian geese, I think they are so beautiful! And I love listening to the ducks and geese every morning!

I suggest you develop a taste for water fowl and watercress if you want this to be productive.

Great pictures runningtrails. I could kick myself. I found the cutest, tinest turtle in the yard one time and didn't take it's picture. It had such a mean look on it's face that it was so ugly it was cute. I guess he came from the pond across the road.

I'm hoping we can plant this weekend. We've had a lot of rain and a couple of late frosts.

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

I know your frustration. I never seem to have my camera with me when I see wildlife. This year I'm keeping it handy. I'm waiting for our family of groundhogs to wake up and hoping there will be little ones :-) They live under the shed/garage.

Well, I guess you could garden hydroponically!! LOL!

Seriously, the birds are beautiful, and I would be thrilled to see them in my garden.

Runningtrails did you say that was your veggie garden flooded out? LOL well the bright side is maybe the ducks are fertilizing the water which will seep in the ground and when you replant, you will have wonderful fruits. We should just hope that is the case.

Wonderful shots (would we expect anything less from you?). As for the camera. I have been taking all my photos lately with my blackberry pearl cell phone and they come out better than my camera! One thing is for sure. I might not have my camera with me but NO WAY I would ever leave my cellphone at home. So that might be an answer,get a camera phone. Blackberrys come with a cord to download with so you can download the photos to your computer. I usually upload straight to yahoo or photobucket though.

hhhhhhhhh, I wish I had a pond. Ducks fly by my property all the time. It Would be nice if they stopped to visit!

Looks like it might make a fine rice paddy this year, runningtrails!

If we ever get any rain again in these parts, maybe the creek will run and ducks will return. We do have a pair of great blue herons who stick around even when only the deepest parts still hold any water. I'm sure it makes for mighty easy fishing. They are awesome! A couple of neighbors said they saw small flocks of sandhills this year, but I missed them. :-(

That drake is just gorgeous! I'm sorry your garden is flooded but I guess there is an upside :) Lori

There's still time for it to drain. The only thing still planted in it are the strawberries and new asparagus and hardy dibiscus for selling. I can always use the back veggie garden, I'll just have to enlarge it.

Well, I did want a large farm pond :-) I can always plant cranberries!

Here's the back, south, usable when dry garden:

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That's the low are to the left where I would like to put a pond and the apple tree from whom the racoons steal every single apple.

I LIKE YOUR LAND. How much do you have? Have you ever checked to see how far down your water table is? If you get it dug out then maybe next winter I can come iceskate on your pond. LOL

Thank you, Jay! We love it too! All this, no neighbors at all and on a clear day we can see the back of Walmart, open 24 hrs.

Now that's something I have not considered. If I had a pond we could flood it for skating! Great idea!

We have 3.5 acres with a 10 acres field connecting that we can use, with permission if we want to, but have no plans for it. I do store my raw materials over there, out of the way.

That picture is the back corner. It goes about that far in the other direction to the road and is about double that width, long and narrow. The fence across the back is the limit of our property. That's the county forest on the other side, across the back and one side.

We have a high water table. I'm not so sure I could dig a pond 5' deep without digging in water and mud at any time of year. Maybe I will get a chance to find out this year. We are suppose to have a very dry summer.

I am sure your winters get cold enough to freeze a pond.
5' should not be too much of a hassle to dig out but it does have to be a foot below the freeze line if you plan to have any fish in it or they all will surely die in the winter. You would also have to have a hole in the ice so your fish can breathe too so the pond would have to be big enough that the air hole won't make the ice collapse while we are skating. I tell you all this because I do not put it past you one bit to get out there this summer and dig the pond out yourself.

I picture you like this
{{gwi:38396}}or you being on this

{{gwi:38398}}I have a pretty good size lot on one side of me that I would love to use as a picnic area BUT right now it is in such bad shape I would have to do a lot of work to it. Too much to do to someone else's property. Not enough money to buy it right now but I would love to get it one day. There is something special about looking out at your property and most of what you can see is yours. And when it is all green woowzer... I love living in the country!

Here is a link that might be useful: idea to get you started

well??

That's a great site - lots of info there! Thanks!

lol! You are right - I am planning on digging it myself.

I'm going to till the topsoil up first and throw off the sod pieces, etc. before digging. That should get rid of about a foot.

I knew that about the depth. The entire pond doesn't need to be below the frost line, just an area big enough to winter all the fish under the ice. I do want it deep enough so that herons and racoons can't wade in it, however, with sides that go straight down to help prevent predators.

I have had a pond before, but a lined one. This time I want a natural clay/mud koi pond so I'm not going to use a liner. We have red clay under the topsoil that looks pretty good. I can add more bentonite if necessary. I won't need a hole in the ice if there is a constant exchange of water in the winter with the spring and lots of reeds and plant growth around the edges to let the gases escape. Natural ponds are fine on their own in the winter. I'm hoping mine will be.

I have considered a small windmill turning a water wheel in the hot months for adding oxygen, but we don't get many days over 90F. I will probably stick to growing oxygenators in the water, unless I can interest hubby in building a small windmill for me. The subject has come up and he seems like he might be interested, but probably not until I actually get the pond going.

I KNEW IT!!! ROFL.

I thought you did not answer because you did not want to admit you would dig the pond. LOL

you have to post step by step photos so we can follow along when you do it.

I didn't answer right away because I am very busy these days, with the nice weather outside :-) I was either working outside or at work. I work full time, 40 hrs/wk, - 4 days one week and six the next, 11-7. I am up at 5 am to compute then farm until I have to get ready for work.

Right now I'm landscaping and doing other jobs until I can walk in the veggie garden and plant the green peas. Then I will probably not be on the computer much until evening. I am still working on my farm sales website (not the farm blog, which I do still post to about 1-2x/mo). I hope to have it ready for this year, probably later in the summer when I know what seeds and produce we will have for sale.

Grown son has offered to help me with the rocking, thank goodness.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Farm Blog