# Ponds and Water Gardens > General Pond Topics > Digging and Lining a Pond >  Digging your new pond

## Gary R

Designing and finding the best location for your pond is one of the most exciting parts of pond building. Digging and installing the liner or having it fiberglassed are often considered the least fun and the hardest part of building a pond as I know  :Smile: 

 Many people try to get this part over with as soon as possible but this may actually be one of the most important parts of building your pond and will greatly affect its health and longevity. So take some time during this stage and make sure you do it right to avoid problems later, this took me around 2 months to dig out by hand and getting ride of the soil after wards was a pain. 

 Before you start digging, make sure you have researched your location, power source, shape, and material that will be used IE: lining or Fibreglass. One last chore before you start to dig is to double-check that there are no buried electric cables.

 As you dig your pond remember that you want to provide different depths and tiers for the plants and fish. The shallow end of the pond is usually between 12 and 24 inches deep. This is a good area for the fish to feed on insects and is needed for some shallow water plants. The deepest part of the pond should be between 36 and 48 inches deep the deeper the better the fish will feel. This will provide a secure hiding place for the fish as well as an area of temperate water in the summer and winter months.

 Try to keep the bottom as level as possible adding a bottom drain, try to avoid sharp corners, and try to use gentle rounding curves when possible. When you are finished digging, use the shovel to smooth the bottom and sides of the pond and if you can use sand as a finished bottom level and use a Underlay for the liner to sit on unless you go down the Fibreglass route.

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*lost* (06-10-2015)

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