If you want to attract wildlife to your garden and have somewhere to take a cold water dip, then nothing beats installing a swim pond. It is, however, worth thinking about the following:
• A swimming depth of at least two metres will stop your pond overheating during the summer.
• Hand-digging your pond is a lot of work! Use an excavator if you can fit one in your garden – you can hire ones that are less than 700mm wide.
• Nutrients produce algae, yet nutrient levels can take few years to settle in your pond. Avoid fish, which eat algae-eating organisms and produce a lot of poo, too. Also, remove dead leaves from the surface regularly, and plant directly into the pebbles (don’t use soil).
• Barley straw in net bags is an effective way of reducing algae, but this can make a mess when the bags decompose. You could use plastic net bags, but would you want microplastics in your pond?
A garden swim pond is quite an undertaking but the above advice will help you get started. The picture above is of Fiona McWilliam’s swim pond in her garden in Sussex. You can read the whole story of its design and conception in our September issue.
