My first thought was-- "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank"--why would you need to water? Then I realized that the systems have come a long/changed way since my childhood. Have you asked the company that did the install/spec'd the the field? They may have some specific suggestions. melanie

I don't see how this small an area can have any effect on the functioning of the leach field.

I am having the same problem here in Virginia. We just had our house built along with a new septic system. I planted grass in the spring and it all came up nice and then all of a sudden the grass OVER the lines died. I thought it had something to do with contaminated water going through the lines but the house was so new that the septic system was recently hooked up and the tank probably wasnt even full enough to the point where the water would be draining into the field yet. I asked around and was told that it was probably from when they dug the lines. You dig down into soil at the bottom of the trench that probably doesnt contain to many nutrients and when you fill it back in you disturb all the good soil. That was one theory that i kind of believe but it doesnt answer why the grass grew there in the first place and then died. I used a tall fescue and ive read that this particular grass doesnt grow real well the 1st year but the 2nd year it turns really green....How new is your septic field?

You really need to find out what your soil needs by testing it or at least do some basic stuff to find out the organic matter of the soil. Is it clay or sand etc... from there you can find out what actually needs to be added. What I found was that if your not sure peat moss always seems to help if you don't have any compost. But as far as what to plant, not knowing your location, but anything you plant now at the end of July is going to take a lot of watering even on top a leach field. What kind of septic system do you have? I have an areation system with a drip system connected. I'm actually looking at possibly running a sprinkler system of it instead of it going into a small area of yard that I have to cut every few days. According to the manufacture and EPA the water that comes out of the system is "drinkable" but neiter one recommeds it. So I figured it can't hurt to use it to water the rest of my lawn and flowers.