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.

It really depends on the design of your drainfield. If the lines are several feet deep like they are in my area, I really don't think there would be any problem planting anything edible on top of the drain field, root, leaf, or fruiting veggies. If your drain lines are very close to the surface, then I would be more careful. Also, if you have a specially designed field such as more of an evaporative one where the leach water is moving upwards instead of downards, then I'd be more leary of planting. Most of the danger is from psyching yourself out about eating plants that are eating pee, so a good separation to the depth of the leach lines should solve that risk.

Thank you Remodeling1840. The title company does happen to have the Escrow at the moment. The issue isn't Exactly with the septic company though, It's mainly the breakdown in the communication, Sure, They showed a few things I didn't like ( like burying their trash in my yard) and having very poor communication, but at the end of the day, they did what they were paid to do. More than likely, They came here knowing not to speak to me. The seller has been harassing them for 2 months to get it done so he can get his money. The agent, ( My agent) Is married to her Broker. She was very nice, and this would have been the 3rd house we tried to purchase Like papers signed, lenders found some reason or another to request some sort of repair that was just unheard of and the sellers refused. We tried 5 different lenders. Most of them involved expensive testing to verify the foundation,etc. when no apparent reason was present. . It was always this or that with the home, that the seller would refuse to deal with that made us drop out. After 3 years, It was exhausting, So I think everyone involved at that point was just done with it, and ready to move on. We were. The other agent, in my opinion, was "lacking". The whole firm she works for ( small company) has single-handed raised the prices in this area in my opinion. They work on 10% total commission, and generally only sell houses that now range from 250,000-1,000,000. Somehow, they have taken over the market over here and almost every listing is by them, except the houses under 100K. The listing agent treated everyone with disrespect and looked down on us as a whole, since, we aren't buying one of those expensive houses. What they do, Is they list houses methodically above the appraisal. Once it's all said and done, and the closing is set and the actual appraisal comes in, people are happy to pay the " max" or out of pocket for a lower, but still over appraisal price. Done over and over again, in a small area, prices skyrocket. This home was 130K, And just wasn't in her radar at all. She barely made it to closing to give us the keys. What I mean by that, The listing agent didn't even know it had a septic system. She didn't know it flooded in 97. She didn't know much of anything, other than a picture of the home from the outside- and 2 sentences in the listing description. We were the one's that pointed out it had a septic system, from doing a property search with the state to see the property lines. When it comes down to the break-down in communication, Everything goes through your realtor, then out to where it needs to go. I sounded like a broken record trying to tell EVERYONE of these discrepancies, the actual research, she was even here when we found the water on and the 17,000 gallon usage leading to this problem. I just don't know if she told anyone, she said she told the listing agent, who didn't seem to care. She's the one that said " hey, they are getting a new septic system, what is there to complain about" . I know the reaction I received from the health inspector and the septic company, pretty much confirmed they didn't know. Had that been said, and taken seriously, no one would be out anything but a retest .The $1,000 water bill had insurance to pay for " that type of error". The seller may have even walked away with $16,000 more in his pocket. The property also has plenty of spots that would have never even been noticed if that were placed strategically, (the leech bed). So they loaded it up in the middle of the most used part of the yard, without so much as a head nod to it's location. the work has been done for a few days, And I've calmed down a bit about the unprofessional-ism of the company, which puts my focus back on the people who should have been in communication with us the whole time. Those people, in my opinion, are the one's responsible. I didn't get a new system as We were told, and in the escrow it says " replacement" not " added field". no type of communication about what was needed to be done, or what, if any, options were available to us( like placement of the field, or paying out of our pocket on top of the original costs for a different set-up). I don't really know how it works, But If I sold something to someone needing repair, I would 100% be telling them their options. Even after the sale. Given, it fit without the amount of the original estimate, and agreed upon repairs before closing. " Hey, so the health department came back with this, and this is what they said needed to be done, if you want to get a land survey and have it placed somewhere specifically, or discuss with the company any other options etc. And this is the plan of action as of now". Which is what was originally portrayed to us. I'm still going back and reading all of the emails, and texts, and documents. None of it matches up to what has been done. Of course, we only speak to our realtor, so it's then deciphering who is at fault for those discrepancy's leading to us, which is just plain out finger pointing at that point. At the end of the day, you are right. You know, People make mistakes, some people are scum. But If it devalues our home significantly, more than a couple thousand, I feel someone needs to take care of that, at the very least. Because in reality, the work was not disclosed correctly before or after closing, and after closing we should not be paying more than the appraisal under the conditions of the repair if they devalue the home. I don't want this to bite me in the butt 20 years from now when we sell it, or move on in life. I hate to think we will just walk away when our time here is done " if it's not worth it" due to the valuation differences, or the "hard to sell" aspect due to its placement. I know deep down, I spent over 7 years busting my a$$ to save up to purchase a home so we could just enjoy what time left we have with our kids. not to fight this. But, It's also a hard pill to swallow, knowing that you just got taken for, and all that hard work, at least in part, would have been for someone taking advantage of us. When I say hard work, I mean working 50-70 hours a week non-stop, away from my children, even through the holidays. It's not a comparison, i'm sure others work much harder for less, but in my eyes, My time away from my children is worth something. In those 7 years, I feel my body has aged at least 20, how do you just lay down and accept that? I am definitely not a "professional" or have the slightest experience in any of this. But I did do all the research I could before closing. I'm tired to the core, So I'm not sure if it is worth fighting over. all of this is 100% new to me. All I know is, There was a discrepancy ( two actually). One being this system, the other, the ( I can prove) previously known flood in 97 that wasn't disclosed because he signed a non-disclosure form stating " he didn't live here long enough to know of any pre-existing problems or issues). When I looked this up before, people said this doesn't mean anything, that he is still responsible for issues that may be there, if I can prove without a doubt were known. The original owner ( he lived here for 20 years) stopped and talked to me. This guy ( a foot doctor) purchased it at a sheriffs sale, flipped it to us and lived here for 14 months while doing it. The original owner has no problem in saying it in court. he told the guy that this place was a lawsuit waiting to happen if he didn't disclose these serious defects. He said he was outraged that the "doctor" ignored him and told him to Buzz off, that he was going to sell it how he seen fit. So, he has made it a " personal" thing to make sure the buyer knows he was made aware of it if we wanted to sue over that issue as well. It's just literally mind-boggling.

Hi @Simplysherona, sorry if I sound patronizing, but I am afraid for you and want to ensure you get the very best advice you can before you purchase this property. Posting on Houzz is great to give you direction, but if you go into this transaction without knowing your options and risks from a local expert, you may pay for this for a long time. A holding tank may be perfectly adequate and the cost to pump it out regularly may be very reasonable, but until you have real information from people in your area, it's only a guess. You indicated there was a previous septic system. Do you have it in writing that the previous tank was removed and remediation was done properly? Have you talked to the neighbors and found out their experiences with the holding tank setup? So many questions need to be answered. I have totally been star struck with houses e.g. our first house, a 1880's shotgun, did not have a sink in the bathroom. I didn't notice that until after the purchase. Duh. In our 1940's second house, the washing machine drained into the back of the three acre property. That was all fine until Chicago winter set in, the drains froze and I had to manually start and stop the washer to haul water out until it drained. Who knew to ask these things before we bought? Certainly not us as we were young fixer uppers, struck by the possibilities of the house, not the as is. $$$$ duh. No one on Houzz can answer the questions you asked in your last post unless they inspect the property. Get real advice from local experts. You can never do too much due diligence. I want you to have a lovely lake house, not a nightmare.