"theakson" wrote in message
om...
thank you for your kind help Dr-solo as we are in Chicago it tends to be a
bad idea to have ponds due to the Mosquito problem we have. Thanks again

Theakson

Actually, here in Florida where the state bird should be the mosquito,
having a pond or water feature stocked with fish reduces the mosquito
population because the mosquito larvae are consumed by the fish rather than
growing to adults in other habitats. Before we installed the water feature
we couldn't stay outside in the summer longer than 10 minutes without the
skeeters writing their names on us..........now we can sit outside all
night.

wrote in message
...
you dont have to fill them this year. each year you can add compost and
mulch with
marsh hay and the beds will gradually raise and the organic matter
increase. good
for annuals, not great for perennials.
they are raised beds. you dont need gravel or sand, they will drain
cause
they are
raised.
we dug a pond. had a lot of dirt. needed someplace to put it or we'd
have to haul
it away. we built raised beds. so plan and dig a pond and use that
dirt
in the
raised beds. on top of the generally good dirt we put compost and
manure.
we didnt
mix it in. I didnt want to mix weed seeds from our dirt and bring them
to
the top.
I dug a hole for the plants, mulched heavily. Ingrid

"theakson" wrote:
I can't believe that I have to fill the
whole thing with topsoil
I assume
that I have to have a drainage media such as gravel or sand, a middle
layer
of some material and top level of higher quality soil. Am I correct. If
so
what should the middle layer and drainage area consist of in order to
provide an excellent growth medium for a mix of plants ?


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