Septic tanks and vegtable gardens......

[redhen]

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I wouldn't think it would 'grow' into the plants themselves, may be traces in the soil though. BUT, the sun kills bacteria, so probably not. I would think it would have to be a high concentration of e-coli for it to have any effect. BUT....I'm no expert. Looks like we could get the same from other poo used as fertilize as well if it is transferrable.

Well remember the big re-call from food from China? I think the food was contaminated.. they used human feces as fertilizer..
So... I dont blame her for being a bit nervous...
But who knows...

 

[bmax]

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For me there is just something different with human poo than there is with animal poo. I know it makes no sense, but thats just me...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

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I wouldn't think it would 'grow' into the plants themselves, may be traces in the soil though. BUT, the sun kills bacteria, so probably not. I would think it would have to be a high concentration of e-coli for it to have any effect. BUT....I'm no expert. Looks like we could get the same from other poo used as fertilize as well if it is transferrable.

Well remember the big re-call from food from China? I think the food was contaminated.. they used human feces as fertilizer..
So... I dont blame her for being a bit nervous...
But who knows...

Yes they did, but the leach lines would not be raw sewage, so I dunno either

Wonder if China used raw sewage on top of the fields or if it was composted or condensed to a spray for the fields...or was it rice paddies where the food was actually sitting in it

I have no idea, but....well..like I say I don't much see the diff between it and say chicken poo.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
For me there is just something different with human poo than there is with animal poo. I know it makes no sense, but thats just me...

I would use the area if you need to..
BUT..i would do a big raised bed type of garden... just bring in loads of new soil ... and frame it in with railroad ties or thick boards..
Thats what we did here...

 

[bmax]

Quote:
For me there is just something different with human poo than there is with animal poo. I know it makes no sense, but thats just me...

I would use the area if you need to..
BUT..i would do a big raised bed type of garden... just bring in loads of new soil ... and frame it in with railroad ties or thick boards..
Thats what we did here...

we don't need to, we do have a place in the front yard that I was thinking of trying to use. Just going to be lots of work, but worth it! Hubby works all the time so this will be me and the kids project to start this fall! I think it possibly would be easier to do a raised bed in the front yard also since the dirt is so compacted and rocky. Question about the raised bed...do you put a liner down then the new soil or just dump new soil on existing soil? I have only done container tomatoes

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I use a liner.

 

[Equus5O]

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You don't compost with human poop or dog poop, do you? And, you don't put meat scraps in your compost, do you? The composition of the poop of meat eaters is different than that of our chickens, horses, cows, etc. Yes, I know some of us feed our chickens some meat. And no, I don't garden over our leach field. Honestly, my first concern is for our leach field. It cost us way too much money to have it done in the first place, I'm not wrecking it with root systems. And then there's our own health concerns, of course LOL

 

[booker81]

If you have high levels of E. coli O157:H7 (the one that makes you sick, as we ALL have E. coli in our gut - we NEED it), in your drainfield, it's because you or a family member have it! It didn't appear by magic...it had to come from someone's.......gut

As it is, I wouldn't garden on or mess with a drainfield. Too much money to fix them. You could damage it by tilling, or if you choose to dump a bunch of dirt, the weight of the vehicle could crush the pipes, and viola, backup. You shouldn't drive a vehicle on a drainfield, for what, 10 years? We RARELY drive on ours, but it's about 30+ years or more old, and it's already in poor shape and needs to be redone.

When you purchased the house, the realtor should have disclosed the location of the tank and drainfield, along with the size and age. If your tank is too small, there is a big chance your drainfield is too small as well. Might want to keep that in mind right now

 

[joebryant]

Regarding human waste for fertilizer: I am always careful in China not to let the skin of any uncooked fruit or vegetable touch my mouth. ONE time I was squeezing a lychee fruit close to my mouth and the skin barely touched my lips. I thought, "Oh, oh!" Sure enough, within hours I had the worst case of diarrhea anyone could imagine. I thought that I was going to become transparent.

 

[Miltonchix]

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If you want a dead septic system put chemicals in it. A septic tank is a live organism digesting the solids and leeching them out through the drain field (leech field). Put any kind of caustic chemicals down a drain and you'll kill your system.
I would never plant on my drain field for 2 reasons: 1. tilling the surface will cause the drain field to silt up, stopping the flow from the tank into the ground. 2. It IS sewage. Raw untreated sewage could cause a miriad of health problems.
Septic systems are a delicate balance and the less its messed with the better. Now, messing IN it......well, thats the intent.
Another EXPENSIVE lesson learned: Friend had houseguests. They were informed right away that NOTHING except what is naturally excreted from the body is to go in a toilet. NOTHING else. Female guest didn't know what to do with a feminine product (used) and flushed it any way. ONE, just ONE tampon ruined their drain field. Plugged up a drain line. $8000 tampon!!
BTW the RIGHT toilet paper is ok, but no baby wipes, napkins, chemicals...............just poop!