Tibs is absolutely correct. It really depends on the design of the system and how it is supposed to work. There are lots of different ways these are designed and are almost always based on standards set by the state and approved locally. That means that in some areas or some states, almost every "drain field" is very similar in design which can lead to accurate generalizations that you can do "this" or can do "that". But, you really don't know unless you find out from the designer (engineer or sanitarian) and/or the local health department who should know the design of that particular system, what is required for it to function properly, and what the legal requirements are for it. Anything else is speculation. If there is a failure of the system, things that you have done can be blamed for contributing to that failure whether or not they actually did, so it is important to document what you are told and who told it to you.

g'day sue, for me i can't see why not so long as the fruit maybe hasn't been sitting in or on the actual water in the field. there is a whole process that goes on before plants get nutrients and water from such sources (that's why grass & weed growing in these places are so lush and green good nutrient supply) so can't even imagine how any say pathogens would transfer to the flesh of the fruit, even if you thought it was on the skin it could be peeled or washed or both. we also have at least one link to a site that promotes planting over or near leech fields. and if the septic is working as it should there is a whole process that goes on in the tank before that water is expelled to the leech field. my father used to have a hole dug below the leach field and he would bucket that water to the vege' patch, also had neighbours who micro irrigated their cottage garden with the stuff right from the tank used to stink a bit but no one has suffered. reckon i would need to see hard case evidence of anyone anywhere actually getting sick from eating produce grown using this water. always an emotive issue with lots of fear hype attached. i hear the same thing about grey water use in gardens we have always used it and to date we rarely even get the common cold. len Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Hi. Most would just say "no" since any serious root invasion could make for a very costly repair and/or costly sale of the home once an inspector for the buyer raises hell about the trees near the drain field. That being said, the best information I was able to find about the topic is here: pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-617/426-617.pdf FWIW, I have malus and Oxydendrum arboreum within about 5 feet of the edge of mine. My folks have several eastern white pines all in theirs (30-something years on, no problems). Unless you get advice from an expert on the tree you are planting that says go ahead, don't do ahead with the plans unless you're willing to pay for a fix later down the road. I hear it's expensive :-)

I don't see your zone, but I would use a mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, including some conifers. I would think that deciduous would be ok even where you want to hide the trailer, etc. since you probably don't hang out in the yard a lot in winter, though if you do all hollies there, repeat a group of hollies at least once somewhere else. Most shrubs grow at least as fast as the hollies you're presently interested in, though they'd be much wider, a plus as far as I'm concerned in that there would be less lawn to mow :). With a mix, you'd also get flowering and berries, and in some cases fall color. You might look at the huge range of Viburnums--V. sargentii 'Susquehanna' is about 15x15 and deciduous. V. pragense and V. rhytidophyllum (several cultivars available) are evergreen down to minus 10 at least. Groupings of V. dilatatum (many cultivars available) are also good. (To get good fruit set from the viburnums, you must plant at least two different cultivars of each species.) There are lots of others as well. Other shrubs include Magnolia stellata cultivars--very early, fragrant bloom and dense leaf cover-- and many gorgeous conifers with a range of colors from green to blue to yellow. Another tall, narrow conifer is Juniperus virginianus 'Taylor'--but it's hard to find and expensive. Since you have so much room, don't skimp on the width of this border. If you plant a narrow plant near a wide one, you can "thicken" the border in width smaller shrubs to face down the narrow one. If you spend the time to do this right, you'll have privacy, year round interest, low maintenance, and the value of your property would be increased. For conifers, the conifer forum suggest coniferkingdom.com or westernevergreen.com. Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm offers some each year too. One warning--don't make the border polka dot, though of course you can repeat certain shrubs. Hope this helps.