Whether you need a place to hold water in your edible landscape to keep your plants going through droughts in the summer or are adding ducks and fish to your edible landscape, there is true power in a permaculture pond that will increase the rate of growth in your edible plants and give you more food harvests for years to come.

In the long run, you’ll want your permaculture pond to be capable of not only holding water but also of refilling itself whenever it rains.

You can find the places that naturally collect rain water wherever your homestead or edible landscape is by walking the land during or shortly after a heavy rain. The places where water puddles without your assistance make excellent places to dig ponds as these places represent places that may be lower in your landscape or otherwise have drainage problems.

A natural pond is a living, breathing ecosystem that ebbs and flows with the rain and drought and also allows some seepage into the surrounding landscape so that your fruit trees and other plants can benefit from the high nutritional content that ponds can bring to your permaculture food forest.

What on earth is “gleying”? Gleying is the natural process by which certain animal wastes clog leaks and eventually seal up a hole…or in this case, a pond.

Some popular animals that have been traditionally used to seal ponds include:

• Pigs
• Water Buffalo
• Cows
• Ducks

Of course, some of these animals are easier to keep than others, but you do not have to commit to becoming a caretaker for animals in order to use animals to seal your pond.

The goal in any permaculture food forest is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem and this is something you’ll want to achieve when designing and planting your permaculture pond too.

Why exactly are plants necessary for a sustainable pond ecosystem?

Also Read: Pond Plants Are A Vital Part Of A Balanced Aquatic Ecosystem

• Weeping Willows & Other Willow Trees
• Maple Trees & Japanese Maple Trees

By planting water-loving trees near your pond, you have eliminated for the longterm, the need to hand-water or irrigate these trees. The trees will now have unlimited and around the clock access to water. A lack of water often sets back tree growth, especially during a drought or dry season as trees, and other plants, may have any new growth die back in an effort to conserve water for that plant or tree.

• Rhubarb
• Taro (aka edible elephant ear)

• Asparagus
• Bamboo
• Sugar Cane
• Horseradish