Stock Tank Pond Dreams At Home Depot - March 2022

Last Winter, I posted a little backyard garden dream about a stock tank pond based on Erin the Impatient Gardener having set one up a few years back.  I thought it was a unique way to add a water feature to the garden - and one WITHOUT fish - but rather focused on aquatic plants.  At that time, the problem that I was facing was access to an affordable stock tank.  Between the supply chain issues and pandemic-induced staying-at-home, stock tanks were either not available or the shipping was a killer. 

So, imagine my delight when I walked up to the local Big Box store this past week and I see these beauties out front:

On the left are rings.  Not tanks.  Fire pits are the intended use, I think.  

The most expensive ones ($129) are these online - 2' wide x 2' tall x 4' wide.  And, despite the HD listing not showing the capacity in gallons, I'm pretty sure it is 100 gallons (based on this Tractor Supply listing).   That seems like a good capacity to start on something like this - deep enough and large enough to provide some buffer in terms of temperature swings based on the weather.  There's a larger one on HD's site - for $40 more - that nets out an additional 65 gallons of capacity.

But, it is a long/narrow tank and NOT a circular one - which I'm more naturally drawn to for my yard.  Could I make the longer, narrow one work?  For sure.    Also, is there *some* appeal in the smaller ones?  Yes...because of using a veneer to kind of 'hide' the tank.  Like this one.  Bricks set on edge hiding the tank.  Another way of accomplishing that - with a larger tank - is by partially burying the tank in the ground.  Like this.   Maybe a way to get what I want is to think about a longer, shorter tank - like this 2' wide x 1' tall x 6' long tank - where I wouldn't have to bury it very far. 

I was envisioning the location of this stock tank close to the patio and house.  In a mix of afternoon sun and morning/evening shade.  But, should it be in a bed?  Or on a path?  Maybe the answer is to put it directly to the NORTH of the patio - there's a six-foot-or so section where I was talking of planting another Belgian Fence as a screening device.  A water feature *in front* of that?  Partially buried in the ground might work well here.  

But, I also am thinking about a bigger picture overhaul for the patio area - that might include the notion of making it more of a 'garden room' and using the notion of 'hide and reveal' into the larger yard. As part of that, I'd like to think about a water feature.   Whatever I do THIS YEAR should either be part of that plan or reusable in the plan going forward.  The upside of the stock tank is that I can use it ELSEWHERE, if/when I figure out what larger effort I want to undertake.