How to Dig a Koi Pond

Survey your yard for a spot that is out of the direct sun, slightly shady, not under a deciduous tree or messy shrub and, ideally, visible from several windows inside the house. When you've located the perfect place for the koi pond, outline the shape with a garden hose and then spray the outline with bright landscaping paint.

Contact your utility company and ask it to check the location of the pond and any areas you may dig to bury power or water lines to it. Don't skip this step. Hitting a gas line or knocking all the power out is both dangerous and expensive.

Dig the pond. If the area is very large, you may need to rent a backhoe to save on labor. Plan the pond to be at least 3 to 4 feet deep at the deep end so the koi have a place to hide from predators. Choose a 4- to 5-foot depth for safer, healthier koi. The fish swim up and down from the surface to the pond floor, so a deeper pond allows them more exercise. It also prevents herons and other fishing birds from helping themselves to an expensive koi dinner.

Cart away the dirt you remove from the hole with a wheelbarrow. Save enough at the pond site to build a waterfall mound later, if you want to add that feature to your pond.

Slant the sides of the pond slightly inward from the surface to the floor of the pond but don't add plant shelves. Koi eat plants so they will kill your pond greenery. And raccoons eat koi so don't give them any shallow perches to fish from.