Creating your own mini
pond in a wooden barrel

The most popular spots are the ones by the water: this applies just as much to a seat in a café as it does to a seaside holiday. People have always loved special, calming atmosphere near water. But who can enjoy this magic in everyday life? The answer is surprisingly simple: virtually anyone!

Even a small mini pond will transform a terrace or balcony into an idyll and can be quickly set up with minimal effort in a few simple steps. Popular containers for a mini pond are wooden tubs, such as beer or wine barrels. In reality, however, many other containers are also suitable, from glazed ceramic pots and old wine barrels to zinc tubs or disused feeding troughs – the main thing is that they are at least 10 cm high and offer more surface area than depth. Non-waterproof vessels can be lined with pond liner. Before creating the mini pond, you should find a suitable location: an ideal spot is one that offers the plants enough sun to grow, but also sufficient protective shade. You also need to avoid too many leaves falling into the mini pond – so a place under a deciduous tree is not very suitable.

Planting up the mini pond

Your mini pond is small – so make sure you choose small, slow-growing plants and follow the instructions regarding location and depth. A combination of floating-leaf plants, bog plants and tall plants produces a well-balanced look.

Prepare the materials before you start:

• pond liner (3–5 mm thick) for lining the non-waterproof vessel
• hand tacker for fastening
• scissors
• light, unfertilised soil or special pond soil
• plant baskets
• stones for varying the placement heights of aquatic plants in containers
• pebbles for decoration
• watering can
• wooden tub, beer barrel or wine barrel
• tacker, e.g. Novus J-17 DA or Novus J-29
• staples (flat wire, 6–8 mm)

And here's how it's done:

1. Line the wooden barrel with pond liner; weigh it down on the ground with stones.

2. Spread the liner up the inside and tack it to the inner edge with your NOVUS hand tacker. Be careful not to pull the liner too tight, so it doesn’t tear.

3. Cut off any remaining liner.

4. Cover the floor of the barrel 10–15 cm high with pond soil.

5. Lay out the pond in terraces with stones, taking into account the different plants’ requirements in terms of water depth.

You can find step-by-step video instructions on our YouTube channel.

Now we wish you lots of fun and good luck with constructing your mini pond!

Our workshop "Building your own cold frame" might also interest you.