Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration

by Tim Matson, Diane St. Jean (Illustrator)

There is nothing like a pond! What else can simultaneously increase your aesthetic pleasure, offer recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase the value of your land? This is the recognized standard on ponds, now expanded to include a comprehensive guide to living happily with your completed pond and keeping it perpetually healthy. Here is everything you need to know about planning, digging, sculpting, and maintaining your pond.

Genres: Gardening

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Tim Matson, writer, humorist, photographer, pond designer & homebrewer was born in New York City, grew up in New England, and pulled a tour in the US Army in the 60s. After four years working on the titles of Abbie Hoffman, Joe McGinniss and a series of Rolling Stone paperbacks, as an editor in a major New York City publishing house, Matson upped & moved to rural Vermont, as part of the 70s counter culture back-to-the-land movement.

In the 70s Matson lensed the Pilobolus Dance Theatre genesis years in “Pilobolus” a photographic essay published by Random House, winner of two American Institute for Graphic Arts awards. In the 70s he co-authored and self-published "Mountain Brew: A High Spirited Guide to Country Style Beer Making", considered a foundational document of the global craft beer movement. In 2015 "Mountain Brew" was honored by Countryman Press with an expanded 40th anniversary edition, including original recipes, new writings and classic photos.

During the construction of his sustainable Vermont home, Matson also built his pond, leading him to work on the art & science of pond designs & pond uses. Matson's pond books and videos have sold more than 100,000 copies. Published by W.W. Norton, titles include "Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance, and Restoration"; and "Earth Ponds A to Z, An Illustrated Encyclopedia". Matson's articles have been published in Audubon, Mother Earth News, Yankee, Vermont Life, Brew Your Own, and more. His Pilobolus photographs are in the private collections of individuals, the Hood Museum of Art and Rauner Library at Dartmouth College. He currently is working on the new edition of "Round Trip to Deadsville: A Year in the Funeral Underground." Visit www.earthponds.com

Reviews

[Marjorie W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very useful for a novice.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were thinking of putting in a pond....the Vermont equivalent of an inground pool, and found this book to be invaluable. Matson gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision, from site planning to hiring a contractor.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting and practical. Will re-visit when we finally buy some land. Would like to have a pond. He also talks about aquaculture quite a bit (raising fish), which is an interesting thought. The author is based in Vermont, so it's nice to get that perspective as well.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth Ponds feels a bit like a self-published ebook, even though it's not. It's more one man's adventures with building a pond than a how-to, but I can't seem to find any better books out there on designing an earth pond. And this one is definitely thought-provoking, even if far from complete.