It is never advised that edibles be grown near a septic tank or drain lines.

Agree with rhizo. Find another location. Sorry. Linked another recent discussion on this issue below if you want to review it as well.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Root vegetables and septic field discussion

And especially not asparagus whose roots go very deep.

I've put a link below to a publication from VA Tech on the subject that talks about veggies on septic fields. The roots of something as aggressive as asparagus might damage the system. Plus the watering the bed will need and the mulch advised for asparagus can cause the septic system to become overloaded with water and lead to expensive repair or replacement. But every septic system and every soil type is different so the best advice will come from your local environmental health department and cooperative extension office.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting on your septic field

yes the roots of especially asparagus could cause damage to the system, but then as they will be taking moisture out of the system the system may work that much better in some situations.

usually non root type vege's do very well there are lots of nutrients going to waste down there and why let the grass have it all, after all never heard of grass roots (there a very long time) causing any septic field issues?

there's bound to be people out there growing on septic fields to day i haven't noted any negative posts about that action.

me i'd certainly want to grow above ground crops if i had a leech field, couldn't bare to have all that nutrient go to waste. and encouraging more worms into a field can only help.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

The roots of lawn grass don't go down and plug up the piping in a leachfield. Rampant growers like asparagus might do that. It would depend on how deep his mound is before there are pipes and other fixtures to clog up. That's why I suggested he contact his health department. In Virginia, there may be a law in the next few years that permits ONLY grass on a leachfield. Personally, I wouldn't be willing to take the risk of contaminants nor the possible expense of drainfield repair or replacement for the sake of an asparagus bed.

As far as the e.coli comment on the other thread, yes, there is always danger of it from anything grown in soil. But the risk is very slim unless some kind of fecal material or residue is present. And thorough washing of veggies (a very sensible thing to do) will eliminate most of that small risk. Plants don't take these types of pathogens into their tissues, it's present on the surfaces from rain or irrigation splashing it onto the leaves or fruits. But how can you be sure you've scrubbed a carrot well enough to remove contamination from a septic system? How can you get all the little crevices of an asparagus stalk clean enough to be confident there is no contamination left? And plants can take up the heavy metals and other things that might be present in sewage. That's another risk to consider.

Sandy

I have been an Environmental Specialist for the state health dept. going on 13yrs, specializing in on-site sewage, septic systems. I have a strong passion for vegetable gardening. The bacteria type hazards are the least to worry about. You can render about 95% of the bacteria, pathogens, and virus by washing and cooking. I would really worry about eating them raw. Do you know if the septic drain field is working properly? The soil treats the effluent, the liquid coming out of the tank. The roots would be absorbing the liquid out of the pipes before it is treated by the soil. Anyways, think of typical clean ups. Maybe scrubbing the sink with some comet, soft scrub, bleach, ammonia, etc. All those chemicals go straight to the septic tank and out to the drain field. Then absorbed by your edible veggies. Then into you. You have a very high risk of poisoning yourself. I do not have a whole lot of documentation to confirm that, but there are reasons for setbacks. I would highly discourage growing veggies directly on your septic systems.

David