If you get permission from your allotment association, one thing that you might like to install at your allotment this spring is a pond.

Ponds attract wildlife including frogs and toads; these are great things to have on your site as they eat all the slugs and snails that normally eat all your crops. If you want a pond you could start with a basic design involving nothing more than inserting an old washing up bowl into the ground on an unused part of your plot, or you could be a little more adventurous and use the old bath from your bathroom for a larger water area.

If however you want to impress your allotment friends and are planning to stay at your allotment site for a number of years, and after seeking appropriate permission, you could choose a beautiful Koi pond. These ponds are aesthetic, relaxing and provide your site with a beautiful talking point.

Keeping a Koi pond is however a difficult task, you must research the installation carefully and install items such as a suitable pond liner and pond filter and pump. Also the pond environment should be established before you introduce the fish. Koi are gregarious and will often overturn and eat any plants that you may have put in your pond to increase its aesthetic nature. Koi can also grow to large sizes so the pond size should be carefully considered before the installation process.

Although these things may put you off, having a beautiful pond at your allotment will give you a great deal of pleasure for years to come.