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Septic Tank Drain Field
Optimistic
Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
Hello,
I have recently moved to a new house in a village without mains drainage. Septic tanks are a whole new experience for me!
My garden is a decent size, mainly laid to grass, with some fruit trees and not much else. I was full of plans to start a veg garden when I suddenly realised that the area I have in mind for it is on the drain field for the septic tank!
Is it safe to grow veg there? I've googled without finding much info so hoping that lots of you will be able to help.
0
Posts
Can you perhaps explain what type of system you have? If your house is a "new build" it probably has one of the modern "digester" systems (e.g. Klargester type) and as far as I know, the run-off from these is supposed to be considered "safe".
I can tell you how the old-fashioned type of system works, but have no direct experience of the new sort. Maybe someone else can help.
I think it's fine.
It soaks away well down in the soil. I'm digging near the tank right now (well, not RIGHT now) and haven't hit anything remotely damp.
Our waste products used to be buried much closer to the surface with no problems unless they were draining into a drinking water supply.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Is this of any help? http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8455120_far-tank-lines-vegetable-garden.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Should not be a problem as long as you remember the rules about what you cannot put down the toilet. (Everything must be bio-degradable).
Once upon a time the contents of the 'earth closet' were used on the garden as fertiliser and people survived.
As Nutcutlet says, the grey water, which is all that should come out of the system, goes into a deep soak away and does not rise to the surface.
It will definitely depend on the type of system - if it is some kind of digester then you would probably be ok but I;d have thought not if it just a septic tank. We replaced our ancient septic tank with a sewage treatment digester a few years back and supposedly the output is drinking quality water. We no longer have a drainage field as it can discharge into the ditch that runs beside the road. Can't say I've tried drinking it though...
Thanks everyone for your comments.
The house was built around 1990. As far as I know it is an old style septic tank. Certainly there aren't any electrics to it and from looking at 'thousands' of houses over the last while I believe that the digesters require electricity?
I'm sure someone out there can put me right.
Be a little wary about talking to you local council. When we moved here I phoned ours for advice on the septic tank and the response was basically "Don't tell us that you have a septic tank or we will tell you that you must replace it with a sewage treatment plant"
Just be careful what you put down it or you kill the bacteria. Read the labels on any chemicals.
I have a veg bed above an old septic tank which I filled with flints after removing the cast iron covers. I would not plant above an active one. What happens when you get heavy rain and the contaminated water rises to the surface? Yes we did spread human poo on crops, but after rotting, and not near harvest time. And disease was more prevalent in the past. The septic tank will contain living bacteria, some of it very nasty. You could of course put dwn a stone base with raised beds on top, but perhaps avoid root crops.