Can I plant these in my septic leach field?

[journey11]

I live on a sunny hilltop in a very rural area. We have a septic system. I had read an article in a magazine some months ago about a FL couple who planted their entire yard to fruit trees and sold their produce for a living. I only have one acre (which my DH would be glad to get out of mowing..ha). I was wondering if anyone knew if it would be ok to plant blackberries, raspberries and/or grapes in between the rows of the leach field. The drain pipes are about 10 feet apart and I would like to plant down the middle of them. I know not to crush or trample them. I would be cultivating with a garden tiller. Thanks for your input!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there journey11



I would go for the grape option as you have to train them & keep them trimmed etc to get a decent crop. You do this in winter when there is not so much to do around the garden. Both the raspberries & certainly the blackberries need a lot of controlling during the summer when we need to be busy elsewhere.

Under no circumstances would I plant blackberries there as I would be in fear as to what the labour bill would be if the pipes ever needed to be replaced or repaired (the brambles are so strong & intrusive that they will shift your pipes). They are also impossible to get rid of. I talk from BITTER EXPERIENCE.....!!


I love to eat all three but the grape will cause you the least trouble & look the best, but that is just my choice & opinion.

Good Luck with your project!

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[davaroo]

Hatties got a point: septic systems don't last forever. They need repair and replacement. I would also be concerned about tree roots clogging the drain field lines.

 

[patandchickens]

The general principle is that it is wiser not to plant over your leachfield or tank, nor plant trees near them, if it can be avoided.

That said, if it is a well designed properly installed leachfield (likelier if it is more recent and involved a building inspector; some older ones are good, others have awfully shallow plumbing) you are unlikely to get in too much trouble planting shallow rooted perennial flowers over the leachfield; and if you like living dangerously, smaller or very shallow-rooted trees, with modest and contained root systems rather than far-questing invasive roots, can often live nearby without causing much trouble.

I do not know how deep brambles' or grapes' root systems are; I would be leery of putting them on the leachfield without getting a good solid answer first.

Typically a leachfield is not *that* big, though, so you would not be losing *that* much area by leaving it as, like, the one grassy patch on your property.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

As a person with a leach field in my back year, also on an acre... I have to agree with Hattie on the grapes. The root system is not out of control and they run shallow. So we planted grapes on our property to eventually sell one day (Its a good 4 year wait for a harvest).

I did walk to the back of the property where the pipes stop, and there I planted 4 of the HAPPIEST apple trees EVER! We went with Semi-Dwarf trees... they are about 30 feet away from where the leach field here ends. I wouldn't have planted them closer. I'm putting in 2 more trees this fall, probably peach... but sadly no more will fit without getting too close.

Seeing you are in West Virgina, have you thought about planting muscadine grapes... they grow strong wildly in these areas in the south, and they make for GREAT juice and wine. Maybe have yourself a nice mini winery?

I'd come visit!!!

 

[DawnSuiter]

I'm so glad I read this thread.
We were going to do the same thing with grapes.. over the leachfield. Although we were going to plant them in 3' square above ground boxes (yes 3' tall) to avoid roots growing into the pipes..

but I NEVER considered the day those pipes would need to be dug up! How awful that would be after years of waiting & caring for the vines..

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

wow am i glad i read this too! thought about not having roots grow but not that i'd have to dig it up....

not to hijack... but to 'expand' on this topic.....

i have the worst clay soil EVER and the stupid people who did the septic ran it right down the hill into a bit of a dip. and so its soggy - a lot. right now there is a bramble growing over it but at some point we'd like to mow the darn thing off....

so can i add more topsoil so that grass will grow? can i just put a heap of gravel over it so its not swampy??? anything?

i'm also concerned that the ducks/geese/hens are going to think its a big fun mud puddle so i'm hoping to dry it out some.

thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

I dunno about this business of the tiles having to be dug up. It really depends. If your system was properly installed, though, and sensibly cared for, it should last a real long time. I know of septic systems still functioning well after 70 years, never been dug up or repaired or anything.

Of course lots of people don't take real good care of their systems (overloading them with too much water, putting too much solids and grease down there, not having the tank pumped if/when it starts to fill up, using additives that move sludge particulates into the drains rather than keeping them in the tank where they belong, etc). And of course there can also be unexpected surprises that are really not forseeable or avoidable. So I guess to be on the *safest* side you might want to keep the leachfield clear... but honestly unless you have reason to EXPECT a problem with the system, the possibility of having to dig it up would not be high on my list of reasons not to plant on it.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[journey11]

Thanks everyone for your recommendations. I was really hoping for blackberries more than anything. I have a small patch of a thornless variety that I have been working with for 3 years. They do not have a tendency to sucker. Would that make them an option or do the roots run too far?

I've decided on another location for my grapes. It wouldn't be worth the risk given the time and effort involved in getting them going.

I may try a small patch of cantelope to see if that can be worked out. I also am eyeing two dogwoods that I will probably remove from the perimeter so that I can replace them with peaches.

You would think an acre could hold more, but my chickens and my regular garden take up a lot. And the lines from the septic tank to the distributor to the leach field run 3/4 of the length of my yard in order to reach the slope. I need more ground for my ambitions!!

 

[thomasz]

After just spending $16,000 replacing my field after a failure from a few different things including tree roots I can GUARANTEE I will not have anything but grass above mine as long as I'm around. Remember roots will follow their food source IE the field so be careful.