Old metal wheelbarrow for mini- pond?
Hello!
I would like to create a miniature pond to help the wildlife in my garden. I have a budget of nothing! So I’m looking around to see what I already have. I actually already own a wheelbarrow from homebase where the wheel has broken and we have not been able to replace the wheel . So at the moment it’s just useless. . It’s made of metal (not sure what kind of metal- it’s silver ) and I’m wondering if I remove the legs to it if this would be a suitable container for the water? Is there any issue about it rusting or being toxic to plants or wildlife?
I also do not wish to put any plastic into my garden as I’m going plastic free so i’m not going to be doing anything with plastic liners.
Thank you in advance for any advice!
Thank you in advance for any advice!
Eve :-)
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My second thought is that (assuming you're talking about using the wheel barrow as is - ie a free standing pond) the metal could heat up a lot in summer and heat the water - so you probably wouldn't be able to grow plants in it.
However, assuming it's sealed, if you sunk the main bucket into the ground (perhaps in the shade) and surrounded it with nice plants I think it could be a rather nice feature. My wheelbarrow is quite deep so you'd need lots of pebbles to make steps for wildlife to climb in and out safely. If the water doesn't heat up too much you could then look at a pond plant or two.
Great thanks for your advice!
Yes I had thought of sinking it into the ground although that was mainly for access for any frogs etc but now you've said about the heating issue I definitely would sink it down... I could put big pebbles in there for the base so it would only be the insides of the sides which I think I could mostly cover with the plants... I believe there are plants that help keep the water fresh and attract insects etc so was planning to put some in there... I can position them around the sides so that that none/ very little of the metal would be available to get heated up.
I'll have to research what would be good for sealing the bolt holes up with that wouldnt be a polymer base... maybe I could leave the bolts inside. if any of the bolt is proud I could bury that area in the pebbles....
Thanks so much again! A lovely project for spring!
Making it watertight will certainly be the main challenge.
There might be someone here on the forum who could recommend a good sealant for any holes. One of the outdoor sealants for windows etc might do, but it would need to be waterproof when constantly wet. You don't want it springing a leak a few months after you get it all in place!
I think you'll need a liner as the wheelbarrow will rust and leach into the pond water.
I had a new freezer delivered a while ago which was covered in a thick plastic bag about 8ft tall, something similar may work
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.