blueberry bushes on septic field?

[Randy Rooster]

Can I plant blue berry bushes over my spetic drain field? blue berries are very shallow rooted and my lines are about 2 feet deep. Will the berries be safe to eat?

[kreig]

I asked my local extension agent about growing food above the leech field and he said that I should not do.

[geo in mi]

There are pros and cons, so it's your personal choice. I might do it if I were completely out of space anywhere else, but I wouldn't offer them to anyone else. It might also be just my luck after a few years to have to tear up the system and lose all my efforts at growing them.....Live dangerously, Murphy's Law is only good 95% of the time......

geo

[oregon woodsmok]

I wouldn't do it.

Not good to grow anything over the leach field. I'm not sure I'd want to eat the berries. Not all the roots are shallow, and you don't want roots growing into your leach lines. You might need to access your leach field at some point. If you ever have to sell, buyers aren't going to like it.

[Pink_Carnation]

In our area they only want short plants over the drain field. They even recomend that you make sure to keep the grass cut.

[Danaus29]

I wouldn't do it just because of the possible drain field issues. I wouldn't want to risk losing the bushes.

As for the safety of the berries, it's highly unlikely that any pathogens would be absorbed by the plants (unless Monsanto has been tampering with blueberries). My dh used to eat the raspberries that grew around his grandmother's outhouse and my whole family ate the mulberries that grew next to my greatgrandparent's outhouse. When in doubt you could use those berries only for something that is heated like pies or jelly.

[snowshoehair]

The house I bought had raspberries planted over the leech field and they didn't do well. Always seemed to have a fungus or something and the berries didn't taste great. The plants themselves seem to not like it as they haven't grown well where they were and have "migrated" out of the bed like crazy!

[motdaugrnds]

The County Health Department here told us we could plant grass (even trees) over our disposal system; just not close to the tank & distributor box. Our system is 5 ft deep. The agent did say, if we plant trees, place them "between" the leech lines.

We have chosen not to even do that much because of the problems others have had with tree roots. We do have grass growing; but I keep it mowed so the roots don't get anywhere near 5 ft long.

[Ravenlost]

Wouldn't it be to wet for blueberries?

[Rusty'sDog]

If you are just trying to utilize "wasted space", consider putting a raised bed over the field and growing shallow rooted veggies there. If you do need to dig it up some day, at least you will have very soft soil to dig. Or use it as part of a chicken yard.

[Cabin Fever]

There would be no health risk with planting buleberries on your drainfield assuming your drainfield soils are capable of absorbing the wastewater and wiil not saturate due to slow permeability or over-loading.

With that said, it is typically recommended that gardens not be planted on drainfields because of the homeowner's tendencies to over water gardens. Additional water, over natural rainfiall and typical wastewater loads, can tax the soils ability to percolate the water and remain aerobic.

[texican]

Reckon if you live on a postage stamp parcel, and the onliest unused square footage you had, was over the leach field... go for it. It'd help if you or a friend or relative (that owes you a favor) is a plumber, or a plumbers helper (as I'd imagine the 'helper' doing the actual digging) in case you needed to repair the field later on.

The idea of organics going into the septic tank and the processed fluids going down the leach field don't scare me.... it'd be all the inorganics that go along with it, and it's iffy cleansing, that'd concern me. My washing machine doesn't go into the tank, thank goodness.

If I had space elsewhere, I'd choose that first. About five years ago, I had to dig up my leach field and replace the pipe (tree roots). I'd'a been one sad puppy if I'd spent years getting magnifico blueberry bushes (and I do know blueberries, after a decade in AK) growing on my leach field, and then had to dig em up for repair work.

The rule of the 6 P's comes into effect. Perennially P*** (euphemism for tinkling) Poor Planning Prevents Proper Performance.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

The County Health Department here told us we could plant grass (even trees) over our disposal system; just not close to the tank & distributor box. Our system is 5 ft deep. The agent did say, if we plant trees, place them "between" the leech lines.

We have chosen not to even do that much because of the problems others have had with tree roots. We do have grass growing; but I keep it mowed so the roots don't get anywhere near 5 ft long.

Yiikes.

Trees have roots and roots will tend to move towards moisture.

You are wise to ignore the health Dept. "advice".

[plowjockey]

IMI, I'd never grow anything on a septic field, other than grass or flowers. Having a vegatable garden over one, might raise the issue of excessive bacteria.

Googling blueberry root depth, finds that roots might go two feet. It always seems like roots want to go deeper or wider, when there is moisture there, anyway.

A leach field has specific job and irrigating your plants is not that job.

[fireweed farm]

I'd be less worried about pathogens than I would be of medications/antibiotics/hormones/heavy metals etc.

[rambler]

Why would you?

More for the septic, than concerns about the blueberries.

Plant grass on the septic lines and enjoy a good long-lifed septic system.

--->Paul