Garden guru Chris Olsen of Botanica Gardens shares a few tips on creating a serene alternative to a koi fish pond with a low-maintenance turtle pond.

We’ve all seen fish ponds in landscapes. Some of us even have our own raging waterfalls and huge ponds full of big beautiful koi fish. But there are those of us, including myself, that love the gentle sound of water with minimum care. Why not create a unique and low-key water fixture by building a turtle pond instead?

That’s just what I did in my own front yard, as it is the only spot that I have about 5 hours of pure sunshine, just what water turtles need.

Simple in design, my turtle pond is round with a six foot diameter. I built the structure out of concrete blocks and capped the exposed sides and top with flagstone. The pond is 30 inches deep so turtles can hibernate in safety and hide from predators. The walls are straight up so they little guys can’t escape.

For a decorative touch, I created a sun dial design with large cut flagstone.  I even have underwater low voltage lights so when guests come to my front door at night they can see my turtles and fantail goldfish.

What I am most excited about is that in just a few weeks my new addition to the turtle pond will be a baby albino red slider turtle. I just can’t wait! Happy Gardening!