Life is a gamble and every action we take has some risk involved. Going to the store to buy your vegetables incurs the risk of being in an accident. Growing your own vegetables on a drainfield creates a possibility of bacterial or viral contamination and/or damage to the septic system. Here are some websites that say it's not a good idea to plant edible crops on drainfields. You will also find people who have done it with no adverse effects. The decision is yours. Weigh the odds and do what you think is right. As for me, I'd rather not eat anything grown on my septic drainfield and even though we are in the business, I wouldn't want to run the risk of causing a failure of the system for the sake of my vegetable garden. JMHO. http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/2007/fs0732.pdf http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/qa/water0007.htm http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS1027.pdf http://www.nsfc.wvu.edu/smart/training/toolkit/page2/onsite/Guide_SepticSystemOwner.pdf http://www.phd1.idaho.gov/home/publicinfo/documents/CareandMaintenanceofSeptic.pdf http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Environmental/WaterQuality/Septic_Systems.htm

I wouldn't worry about roots affecting your leach field if you are planting annuals. If it is perennials, then you might have the roots get into the lines, just as tree roots will, and plug it up. To play it super safe, you could avoid root crops, but the purpose of the leach field is to remove/kill the bacteria and viruses in the sewage before it gets anywhere. If your lines are buried 5-6 feet deep, the microbes should never work upwards that far for a standard septic design--the water should move outwards and downwards, not upwards. It should never get to the surface. If it did, runoff from heavy rains would be putting the bacteria into the waterways and causing the problems a leach field is designed to prevent. Now if you had an evaporative type system, then you would be bringing the water to the surface and may not want an edible garden on top. Plant roots themselves will not transport the nasty microbes to the surface, only the nutrients and water they absorb. The different results of green/dry people have had really do make sense. In drier climates, grass roots will move downwards to seek water and find it in the leach field. When dry, the grass will stay green over the leach field due to the underground water it is getting. In wetter areas, the grass doesn't have to root as deep to usually have good moisture, but the soil over the leach field usually has very good drainage, so during dry periods, the ground will dry out quickly and the grass turn brown.

welcome!!! two new acres .. and you are fixated on this BAD SPOT ... i had the same problem when i moved to acreage ... enjoy this summer working on the other 1.98 acres ... you just moved in.. how about .. not unlike a scientific experiment.. you spend the next year or two.. studying this spot.. and its YEAR ROUND water patterns ... and THEN think about planting something there.. you just moved in.. how have you come to conclusions at this point???? .. heck i am in adrian MI. and in a normal spring.. the ground would have thawed barely last week ... and it is not uncommon to have standing water at such time ... if water does actually remain a year round issue.. how about you fill in the hole.. regrade.. or whatever.. and then think about planting there... and i am pretty sure.. no tree .. will fix a drainage or water issue ... come on wench.. you're a lab rat.. think analytically ... my total GUESS... its a transitory spring issue.. and most likely.. you are not limited as to plant choice.. depending on your native soil structure ... i would start .. by digging a hole .. and finding out if you are dealing with clay .... and then do a perk test.. as to drainage in your garden ... then the yearly water pattern ... and then a plant ... i hope that is gentle enough.. i got wound up on your lab-ness ... and analogizing to that ... good luck ... ken

Hi, I am new the septic fields and having a similar problem. What I can tell you, though, is not to plant anything that puts down taproots. Any plants should have shallow roots or be more sod forming type roots. There is some good info on-line about planting over septic fields if you do a search. What are you planning on doing with areas that won't be sod? We live in the woods but have very sandy soil as well, so our area for the most part is heavy pine straw mixed in with shade plants. I am battling weeds in the sunny areas, though, and have started putting down heavy layers of newspaper with mulch on top. I can't afford to plant it all right now, so it will be a slow process. Good luck! I feel your pain :)