Zone 4, Tucson AZ Sonoran Desert I had been planning on a very similar setup for my own situation, which is a concrete pool of about 25000 gallons. Up until yesterday (Dec. 24, 2010), that is, when I went to a local nursery to see water plants, as my eyes and brain had gotten weary of reading and trying to understand how things go together. The man at the nursery told me of bog gardens, and I'm pretty sure that is the way I'll go. He told me to google Nelsons Water Gardens (www.nelsonwatergardens.com ) and read about their bog filtering system. Look under "Nelson Know-how". THAT's what I want, that's what will work for me, and that's what I plan to do. Maybe that will answer a lot of your questions. I came here today to ask questions about construction materials, since I'm on a budget. Since a bog garden should be about 12'deep, according to Nelson, and the stock tanks are deeper, you will lose a lot of the visual beauty and reason for the bog. Consider eliminating both stock tanks, and replacing them with a bog type system. The stock tanks will hold and keep all the nutrients your bog plants need to thrive. Maybe use one tank as a water catchment and filter for rain water from your roof before allowing that water to go into your pond. Maybe use the other to filter your laundry gray water before sending it via a rock strewn plant filled stream, into your bog. If you do that, be sure to use biodegradable, fragrance free/dye free detergent, and no laundry softeners, liquids or sheets, of any kind. Did you know that those things damage your clothes? In fact, wash new clothes separately from those with which you have used those products for a few washes, so any remaining residue won't transfer to the new items. Ella5

I planted most of my stuff in the spring for my "wet" garden, mainly because that was when lots of things were available. I did wait until the spring rains were pretty much over, but I can remember that it was really mucky. Anyway I figured that the clay was already pretty compacted and that I couldn't make it much worse. Plus I didn't want to wait for the mosquitos to hatch and eat me alive. I can remember slipping & sliding around, laughing and stamping down big clods of clay, not sure whether anything could make it in the mess. Most things did, many of them too well. The original garden has been reworked through the years, things added/changed/moved, overgrown stuff pulled out...pretty much when I felt like it, or found something new I wanted to try. Good luck!

Plastic bag is fine, I've done it. Holes are better towards the top if at all, just make sure the mix stays wet. Potting soil in the mix is not so good, peat sand is better. These guys like acidic nutrient poor conditions ... although the chadd's ford will probably like your mix.

I think you need to explain exactly the nature of the site that you are wanting to build the bog garden in. You are saying that it is entirely bedrock of shale? You mean that you have a hole that is in solid rock? Why would you need a liner if you have solid rock? As far as bog substrate is concerned, compost is NOT what you should use for any bog garden. What is needed is river sand and peat moss mixed at a 50 50 ratio. However the body of the bog in which the substrate sits should not be the entire 3 foot depth. The bog should be built as a stratified system. This consists of various layers and an outflow, both an insert and surface flow flooding relief. The bottom layer should be of coarse rocks into which a pvc pipe, which is large enough in diameter to take a hose for pumping water out with a water pump if necessary, is set so that water can drain freely up the pipe, this can be done using a portion of a perforated pipe or just drilling large holes in the pipe. The top of pipe must extend above the surface of the bog and can be capped with an elbow joint for controlling direction of drainage. Upon the layer of coarse rocks should be sat a couple of layers of reticulated foam filter material-click to see with one layer ran in one direction and the upper layer ran perpendicular to the lower level. These will allow for water to flow into the coarse rocks layer and keep most of the silt, sand, and other debris out of the coarse rock layer. Upon this I would cover with a layer of coarse river gravel and coarse rocks to keep the foam from floating. Then a layer of about a foot and a half of a sand and peat moss mix packed in tight to the area. This will be the basic growing area of the bog. For bog plants do not crowd and avoid using any grasses, sedges, or woody perennials that can overwhelm the bog. I am presuming you are planning on growing carnivorous plants. Start with a few and give them plenty of space between plants. Put the larger species in the back or center of the bog and the smaller ones near the edges. Before planting flood the bog and see how the water moves out so you can find what portion of the bog naturally drains. It is this area that you may want to add a few flat stones or small boulders sitting into the bog from the edge of the bog to help minimize loss of bog substrate. You might even put the container for the tapoles in this area. I hope that this info will be of help.