Question regarding a planter......?

Question

My mom has an old brick fishpond that she wants to convert into a planter. The pond is 17" high & holds 52 cubic feet. What would I have to do as far as prep, providing drainage w/o compromising the stability of the structure, what mix of soil, etc.& to begin planting it in the spring how soon should I start converting it? In short, whats the best way for me to proceed? I have a lot of experience gardening but none whatsoever doing a project like this. Thanx in advance for any & all advice!

Thanx Patricia D, I should have mentioned that the pond is completely brick & mortar w/o any liner, sorry about the omission.

Answer 1

You are going to need to address drainage at the bottom... I can't tell whether your fishpond has a traditional black, flexible liner, or if someone went to the trouble to make it out of brick and mortar.... At any rate, you need to consider drainage....

If you can't punch holes in the bottom, consider adding about 6 inches of broken terra cotta, brick pieces, stones, so that the roots don't get water logged... I often use lava rock for the bottom but you would need a lot and that could be costly.

For your plant medium you need to decide what you are going to plant in it! Vegetables? Just annuals? Shrubs? Mixed annual and perennial? Cactus? Each of these requires a very specific nutrient balance.....

Having said that, you CAN prep now for next season by purchasing inexpensive potting soil, bags of composted manure, and start saving fruit peels, egg shells, peanut shells and add them in layers. Follow with a layer of wet newspaper, leaf mulch or more composted manure. You COULD cover it with a black tarp to help "cook" the composted items over the winter....

Next Spring take a hoe and mix and turn over the soil. You can then add a fertilizer for the plants you are going to use and top off with another layer of composted manure once you've planted. I'd also consider a good quality cypress mulch (about 4 inches) to help keep the roots moist and keep evaporation to a minimum.

You could also placae a soaker hose into the soil before you plant for maximum watering efficiency.....

Answer 2

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