How to Make a Wildlife Pond in a Barrel

You really don't need a huge garden or a digger to create a wildlife pond. A half-barrel or other suitable watertight container can make a wonderful little pond, even in a small garden or courtyard.

1. Choose your barrel

Start with a suitable barrel or large container.

If you're using a wooden barrel, make sure it is thoroughly rinsed and watertight. Wooden barrels can initially leak a little as the wood swells, so fill it and allow the wood to swell and seal itself.

If your container isn't watertight, you can use a suitable pond liner.

And remember: once you've filled it, it's going to be very heavy, so choose its final position before filling it.

2. Pick the right spot

Choose somewhere where you can enjoy watching your pond — because believe me, you will!

A little sunshine is important, but you don't want the barrel sitting in blazing sun all day. Some shade helps prevent the water becoming excessively warm and can help reduce algae, while having some sunshine allows the water to warm naturally.

I also think being able to see my pond from around the Yarden is one of the nicest things about it.

3. Make sure wildlife can get out

This is really important.

Wildlife needs to be able to get into the water and get back out again.

Add a few large stones, bricks or a piece of untreated wood to create a gentle route out of the water. You can also use a small ramp with good grip.

Think about a frog or beetle falling into the pond and not being able to climb back out.

A wildlife pond needs an escape route. 

4. Fill it with rainwater

Where possible, use rainwater collected in a water butt.

The RHS recommends rainwater for container ponds because tap water can contain nutrients that encourage algae growth.

This is another lovely way of making the pond part of a more sustainable garden — you're using water you've already collected rather than treating the pond like a swimming pool!

5. Add your pond plants

Now comes the fun bit. 🌿

For a small barrel pond, you don't need loads of plants. In fact, three to five suitable plants can be enough for a mini pond.

You can choose plants for different areas — some sitting in the water and others growing around the edge.

In my barrel pond I have:

• 🌸 Mini Iris

• 🌿 Water Mint

• 🌱 Water Buttercup

• 💜 Purple perennial Lobelia (Lobelia × speciosa group)

• 🌾 Typha minima — Miniature Bulrush/Dwarf Reed

The combination gives me different heights, textures and colours, and makes the barrel feel like a little planted habitat rather than simply a container full of water.

6. Then leave it alone!

This might be the hardest part. 

Let nature come to you.

It can be tempting to scoop water, frogspawn or pond creatures from another pond to get things started, but it's better to let wildlife colonise your new pond naturally. Moving pond life between ponds can spread disease or introduce unwanted species.

And honestly, watching the wildlife discover it for themselves is half the fun.

My barrel pond has already attracted dragonflies and damselflies, and I'm hoping that one day a frog will decide that the Yarden is the perfect place to live.

 Looking After a Barrel Wildlife Pond

A mini pond doesn't need constant fussing.

Keep an eye on the water level during hot weather and top it up with rainwater when necessary. Remove excessive algae or pond weed if it starts taking over, and remove dead leaves before they build up too much.

But don't be too tidy.

It's a wildlife pond, not a swimming pool. 

A little bit of natural mess is exactly what we're trying to encourage.

And Then the Wildlife Arrived...

This is where the magic really happens.

I created the pond...

and then nature started doing the rest.

 We've had some absolutely gorgeous damselflies and dragonflies visiting.

I love watching them around the pond.

 They seem to hover over the water, disappear and then suddenly come back again.

 And that's one of the reasons I think small wildlife projects are so worthwhile.

 You don't necessarily know what you're going to attract.

 You just create the habitat and see what happens.

 The RHS notes that even small container ponds can attract wildlife, and that dragonflies and damselflies can make use of garden ponds.

Still No Frog Though!

Despite all this activity... I still haven't got a frog. Cue my sad face !!

You Don't Need a Big Garden for Wildlife.

I think this little pond is a perfect example of something I talk about a lot here at The Organic Yarden.

You don't need a huge garden. You don't need acres of land. And you don't need everything to be perfectly planned.

• A barrel can become a pond.

• A pot can become a home for pollinators.

• A small patch can become a wildflower area.

• A few plants can provide food and shelter.

And before you know it, your garden starts becoming a collection of little habitats.

 That's what I'm trying to create here. Not a perfect garden. A living one.

Let Nature Come to You.

One thing I particularly love about having the pond is that I haven't had to fill it with wildlife myself.

 The insects have found it. The pond life has arrived.  And I'm still waiting to see who else discovers it.

 That's actually something worth remembering when creating a wildlife pond: you don't need to go and collect wildlife from another pond.

 The RHS recommends letting wildlife colonise a new container pond naturally rather than moving frogspawn, pond water or other pond life between ponds, as this can spread disease or introduce unwanted species.  

Hope the Froggies locally find my pond soon!!

Looking for More Posts about biodiversity? Click the links below 

• Growing Flowers for Biodiversity 

• Creating a New Planting Area in the Yarden 

• How to introduce Biodiversity in your Garden 

• Growing Nettles on Purpose