Septic tanks and vegtable gardens......

[greeneggsandham]

My garden is about 5ft from where the leach field ends and I'm still alive

 

[bmax]

BUT how do we know where the leach field ends? Thats part of the problem...I would think it would go straight down the backyard...Maybe if we did it off to the side along the fence. I don't know! LOL! I really want a garden but do not want to be eating.........

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

The garden may ruin your drain field (which will be horribly expensive to repair) and the health risk. Sewage on it's own is great fertilizer, but ALL the household chemicals that pass into your sewage system is what I would be worried about.

Natural microbes in the soil break down the organic aspect of the sewage. Excess oil and household chemicals that are not biodegradable will remain in the soil. If your household can prevent any chemicals from entering the septic system that are not biodegradable and you use deep raised beds, it may work out nicely. You'll have to do some research.

 

[bmax]

Quote:
I think I will try the front yard! I hate septic systems!!!! I know I am right on this whole subject and hubby is wrong!

 

[silkiechicken]

Leach field is for all the liquds and junk... We don't garden over ours and keep it clear of trees because we don't want to damage the pipes. I would look into where your field is so that you know not to plant trees or to dig in those areas.

That said, most septic leach fields aren't going to be your entire back yard. Human waste in itself would be fine as a fertilizer as it breaks down, just like cow poop, chicken poop, and all poop really... but the drugs you take and are passed, chemicals of inorganic and organic backgrounds, surfactants like soaps and other junk you wash down the sink can accumulate in the soil around the field... and probably do run down into the pond/low lying areas. They use human waste to fertilize crops in other countries, just cook your veggies if you are that worried (or are traveling abroad). We have a huge black berry patch that grows over our field and we make juice and eat the berries every year for as long as I remember with no ill effects.

You might want to look into caring for your septic system so it can be "care free". We don't put toilet paper down the toilet if we can help it, and don't use a garbage disposal in the sink for anything other than undoing clogs. We also don't use any sort of drain clearer like drano in order to keep the septic tank bacteria happy and functioning. Our septic back home has been able to maintain 3.5 bath and a kitchen for almost 40 years without needing to be pumped, unlike some people who we know that have to have theirs pumped every 5 or so b/c of build up. Untreated city sewer ends up in rivers all the time when they over flow, so sometimes a well maintained septic is better as you know it is working.

 

[bmax]

Thanks for the information! I guess basically I am wanting to know if the whole backyard is off limits. We will be replacing our tank...its 500 gallons and we have 7 people in our family. so its too small...Maybe at that time they could tell me where the leach field is. I do know that we need to cut down three or four trees...I would assume that since we are on a slope the top of the slope would be safe....but the bottom or in the middle just I don't know. We do use the disposal! I have been trying to quit but I forget! Our house was built in the late 60's early 70's as a weekend lake cottage. Still has the original septic tank even though the house is 3 times the size it started! Thanks again for the info.

 

[Marshmallow Man]

Watch out using that disposer for any kind of grease. We scrape all our leftovers into whatever pan was used to cook in and take them out to the chickens. Grease is really bad for the septic system. So is hair. It plugs the holes in the PVC pipes and accumulates in the gravel bed. A lot of people remove their disposers.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I just want to know why it has such a gross factor. We're fine with chicken poo on our garden, composted manure, rotten stuff, and CHEMICAL fertilizers.....just doesn't make much sense to me. I personally don't plant over mine because they are buried shallow, but I might if they weren't. We don't use harsh chemicals in my house anyway, so it would be the composted sewage...still better than commercial fertilizer in my opinion.

 

[redhen]

Could you catch e-coli or something from it?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
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.