Josef Milton

Pond Build

When I moved into my St. Petersburg house the previous owner had left a large pile of bricks & masonry stones behind. I knew right away I wanted to use them to build a backyard pond. There was a perfect area in the back corner of the yard that is partially shaded with multiple trees. First, I sourced a 55 gallon plastic pond from Facebook Marketplace & a fountain pump from Harbor Freight. Then I started digging, burying the deepest (3 feet) portion of the kidney-shaped pool. I then used the leftover stones to build an outline. I tried a couple different outlines before deciding on a basic square to maximize the square footage & size of the bricks. After filling the pond, & burying the extension cord, I used fill dirt to create a raised bed planter in the interior. I started with some store bought potted plants, but later planted some native ferns, air plants, wildflowers, agave, croutons, Wandering Dude, & numerous succulents. I stocked the pond with a few minnows & goldfish, but it also has many daily & nightly visitors including; lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, squirrels, raccoons, possums, & several neighborhood cats.