Follow Septic Sam's landscaping do's and don'ts: Don't: Plant a vegetable garden on or near the
Build the veggie garden 10 feet away
If you plant them in the septic system area, you are exposed to foot traffic, digging, and a surplus of water that can affect its function. Even more importantly, growing vegetables on a drain field is simply unsanitary.
Planting gardens over, near and around septics is okay as long as the roots are shallow and are of plants that do not like water, except vegetable gardens. We do not recommend planting vegetable gardens over septic sytems and thier drain fields.
Choose plants with shallow roots, such as ornamental grasses, groundcovers, annuals, or perennials like azaleas, hydrangeas, lavender, or hollyhocks. Avoid most trees, shrubs, or water-loving plants with deep roots. Aggressively growing roots can damage the septic system.
Perennials and grasses (including ornamental grasses) work best around your septic tank and drain field. Their shallow root systems are less likely to invade the underground system and cause it damage. For the same reason, small, non-woody ground covers are a good choice.
“The most suitable plants to grow on top of septic system disposal fields and fill extensions is grass. It is also permissible to grow flowers, but only if the soil is not roto-tilled and minimal watering is done.
So if you expect your tree to grow to 50 feet, plant it at least 50 feet away from all parts of your septic system, including the drainfield.
Follow Septic Sam's landscaping do's and don'ts: Don't: Plant a vegetable garden on or near the drainfield. Put plastic sheets, bark, gravel or other fill over the drainfield.
Household septic tanks are typically pumped every three to five years. Alternative systems with electrical float switches, pumps, or mechanical components should be inspected more often, generally once a year.
Boxwood (Buxus)
Boxwoods have shallow root systems, so they can easily be planted near your foundation without worry.
Typically, septic tanks are installed below ground level within 10-25 feet from the house, but they must be a certain distance away from any creeks, rivers, ponds, wells, paved surfaces, trees, and structures such as homes, patios, and decks.
Vegetable gardening over a leach field is a bad idea. Though properly functioning septic systems won't contaminate the soil with harmful pathogens, there is no easy way to guarantee that the crops grown over a leach field will be safe to eat.
You don't want to plant any kind of tree on your drain field. The roots are going to clog the field and you will over time have back up of sewerage.
In this scenario, the tank will be full within 7-10 days, which is right in line with ACE's recommended levels. For a normal operating system, the fluid level should always be only about 8-10 inches below the inlet pipe on the tank.
Even mulch or bark over the drainfield is not recommended, because it reduces air exchange and retains water.
Grass or herbaceous vegetation that can be disturbed should be planted over the tank, so you won't hesitate to damage them. The roots of grass and other herbaceous plants can help remove excess moisture and nutrients and help the septic system work efficiently.
In general, a septic tank should be inspected every 1 to 3 years and pumped every 3 to 5 years.
Cottonelle UltraComfortcare is clog-free, septic-safe, and sewer-safe. Cottonelle uses renewable plant-based fibers, which makes this toilet paper biodegradable and great for your septic system. They do not contain any harsh ingredients or chemicals, so should not disrupt the delicate balance in your septic system.
For example, a 20-foot-tall tree should be planted at least 20 feet away from the septic tank. Some trees need to be located even further from a septic tank. Trees with roots that grow very aggressively damage septic tanks and pipes even if they are located far away.
The best plants for a septic field garden are herbaceous, shallow-rooted plants such as the grasses mentioned above and other perennials and annuals that will not damage or clog the septic pipes. It's more difficult to plant trees and shrubs over a septic field than shallow-rooted plants.
While there is no hard and fast rule, and it will depend on many factors, it is a best practice to have any produce or fruit trees at least 10 feet from the perimeter of the leach field to avoid having the vegetables interact with incompletely cleaned water.