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Tipp City, Ohio

I need to install a new leach field. Of course the health Department says because of the way my property is shaped that it will have to run through my pumpkin patch. The lines will be a minimum depth of three feet in the patch. Will the leach field provide extra nutrients? I plan on using the same area in the future for the patch. Will the three foot depth be plenty? I use a John Deere 2010 to do all the major work in the spring/fall.

6/24/2005 9:26:00 PM

Western NY

1- make sure the HD (and the contractor) know you plan on continuing to use that space as a garden. They may want to go a little deeper to be safe.

2- you probably won't be getting any extra nutrients from the effluent. 3+ feet is a long way for the roots to travel, and with all the extra N, you might have problems setting fruit if they did.

6/24/2005 10:17:32 PM

Puyallup, WA

I agree with Andy, three feet is an awefully deep leaching field. In our area, the drain field can only be 18" deep.

6/24/2005 10:56:32 PM

Nashville, TN

My veg garden is situated on top of my septic leach field... Think the lines are only 2' down... We are in the midst of a beginning drought - but due to the extra water being pumped through the system (we have all three kids during the summer...) The moisture level 2-4" under the soil seems to be remaining constant... The ONLY plants I am having to water are to smaller Pumpkins and newly planted Vegies - since their roots aren't deep enough...

My watermelons, tomatos, squash and larger (at least 4' vines) GP plants haven't been watered except for the rain storms (one every 2-3 WEEKS!!) - and I've got plenty of watermelons, tomatos, squash maturing fast.. and the larger GPs are doing fairly well (considering the heat....)

I do add a LOT of lime and Pot ash to the garden every Fall/spring... And this is also the 'dumpsite' for all of the 'barn waste'... So there is a high level of N - but the levels of all other neccessary organic/mineral nutrients is also very high - so growth and fruiting is sustained..You just have to make sure that everything is in 'balance'..

6/25/2005 8:35:14 AM

San Luis Obispo Ca

Human waste is no good!

6/25/2005 3:46:08 PM

Nashville, TN

Sludge pellets are used quite a bit in large agricultural areas.... CA vineyards and orchards utilize it quite heavily. The ONLY crops that should NEVER be grown in it are 'root crops'.. It is considered safe by the Feds for all other crops - as long as the fruit is not touching the ground/or the outside of the fruit is removed prior to consumption.

BTW most of your other 'natural manures' have similar 'fecal bacteria', parasites, etc - that sludge has. And coming from a leach field - you won't have as much problems with those since you have the gravel and soil to filter it (after it's been broken down in the system..)

6/25/2005 6:01:24 PM

Western NY

only 18 inches Stan? what i meant was that 3 ' was usually too far for roots to go. we've put septics in a LOT deeper than that here before, depending on the soil conditions.

6/25/2005 8:17:18 PM

Puyallup, WA

With a high water table, the county requires the use of a "mound system"....that's a system on the surface with dirt placed on top of it!!

6/27/2005 1:58:12 AM

Tipp City, Ohio

My tank lid sits two feet down so by the time the four inch thick lid and then the J-pipe is added I start at three feet down. My house has two seperate tanks with their own leach fields. The One that is working properly only has waste water from the Kitchen and Laundry room. It's leach field is also three feet down and even with less than two inches of rain since May 1st the grass is thick and green.

6/27/2005 9:19:53 PM

Sloughhouse, CA

We have a trans evaporation system. Waste comes out of the house and pumped into one tank and then another using aireator (sp) then pumped up to another tank. It then goes into 3 fields 6 pipes 100 ft. long. We just uncovered blew out and replaced pipe after 20 yrs. We put down a 3/4 crushed rock bed then covered piped with rock then replaced dirt.Thank goodness for the tractor. We were told we could not grow root crops on top of the septic system. I won't have to do this again because in 21 yrs I'll be 80 and can tell Mike I'm to old to move rock.

6/29/2005 2:12:16 AM