Plastic under garden an asset?

by Len Hend
(Mullumbimby Australia)

In my no dig garden I have a pond lined with carpet then plastic sheeting. The water is bucketed from the pond to the garden -- the land slopes into the pond but excess water soaks away.
Would it be an asset to have the plastic sheeting under the garden and shaped to distribute the water around the garden and then back into the pond?

Megan replies...

Personally, I dislike plastic sheeting in gardens. I've wrestled with a few gardens that previous owners had laid down plastic and I've found that it’s a nuisance and the weed seeds blow in anyway and it's harder to break the plastic and plant through or build up new layers. Plants have deep roots and plastic is an unnatural barrier to them gaining nutrients and moisture.

I'm also trying to visualize your pond and garden... it's tricky. There are several puzzles that need clearing up...

• Does the excess water drains away before the pond or does it go into the pond then spill over and drain away?
• I can't tell if your garden is above the pond or after?
• Does your garden suffer from lack of water and therefore need more water than what you can bucket out from the pond?
• How would you shape the plastic to have water seeping or flowing back into pond – it would need a fair bit of water?
• Is there a way you can lay down some irrigation pipes in your garden to use the pond water?
• Any chance you could draw a diagram and scan it or take a photo and put it online here?

Hopefully some better experts than me on landscaping and drainage can help you with a bit more information.