In ground spa conversion to garden?

Hom32023888
by Hom32023888
has anyone ever closed their non operable spa into a big planter it’s 6x6 and want to make it a useable pretty site.
  8 answers
  • Mary Mary on Dec 08, 2017

    Would make a beautiful water garden! Lilly pads, floaters & other water loving plants. Use aquatic gravel as plant medium & add small mosquito fish to control mosquitoes. Use a small fountain to add movement.

    • Lynne Webb Lynne Webb on Dec 09, 2017

      I agree with both you and Karen. The depth is going to aid in inhibiting that that awful green goop that tends to form from shallow ponds. I love the rock idea in the bottom and plenty of water plants around the edges.

  • Karen Tokarse Karen Tokarse on Dec 08, 2017

    Yes, Koi would LOVE this. Line the bottom with a dark plastic liner, put down rocks to secure the liner, put a fountain spray in the middle with plenty of water plants and adopt some cute Koi. Send pics if you try this. This is BEAUTIFUL!

  • Jil10369017 Jil10369017 on Dec 09, 2017

    fill it with dirt and plant it. We’re just finishing up a similar project involving a larger unground swimming pool Sans diving board. Mostly perennials so we’re looking forward to next year

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    • None None on Dec 09, 2017

      You said it's non usable so did that mean broken? Just fill it in and make a garden out of it. Much prettier anyway!

  • Lynne Webb Lynne Webb on Dec 09, 2017

    An above ground pool area, that came with the house, is now my patio. White sand made for easy placement of the stones. Nothing grows in that stuff or it would have been a vegetable garden. An earth tone birdbath, potted plants and feeders has become my 20'X20' paradise.

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    • Lynne Webb Lynne Webb on Dec 09, 2017

      Didn't make myself clear. The pool is gone. The recipient didn't take that awful white sand, too. It was a real problem. I'm too old to dig & haul elsewhere, so I used it for my patio base. The area was already nice and flat, white sand atop compacted red clay so my result was lemonade out of the lemon left behind.

  • EJ Bishop EJ Bishop on Dec 09, 2017

    Yes, I am sure you could make this into a lovely little planter BUT you are going to need to protect that drain. A layer of landscape fabric on the bottom of the planter followed by a good layer or river gravel (not crushed gravel) followed by another layer of landscape fabric. The existing spa is deep, but I have seen examples which became soupy swamps because there was no provision for drainage. Post some photos when you are finished!


    Eamon.

    • Alice Elaine Lord Alice Elaine Lord on Dec 09, 2017

      I like the blue, why line it with ugly plastic? Just river rocks and a good filter and plants with fish if you want. When I saw your picture I thought a koi pond just the same way in mine that never gets used!


  • MKCooper MKCooper on Dec 10, 2017

    An above ground Jacuzzi came with our house, that did not work. We actually dug a big enough hole for it, hauled it over with a wagon after jacking it up off the ground. Fortunately, our neighbor who had a tractor came over when he saw us hauling it around on the wagon, and allowed us to put it gently in the hole - those suckers are heavy. Since it leaked, we lined it with a pool liner and added water, plants and fish. It is gorgeous, as yours would be. It gets full sun and would likely be a green nightmare, but the plants keep it pretty clear.

  • Martha Martha on Dec 11, 2017

    Love your idea! I saw a woman's full-sized pool that she had converted to a pond with a waterfall. It was beautiful! Best wishes for a successful project!

  • Coleen Connell Coleen Connell on Nov 17, 2020

    I have an inground spa that I want to convert to a garden. What do I need to do to ensure proper drainage besides a layer of gravel or river rock? Do I need to drill drainage holes in the bottom or will taking the plug out of the drain suffice?