Placement of Veggie garden

[ridgefire]

I'm trying to figure out where to place my garden this year. The spot I used last year was not planned very well, most of the day was spent in the shade from the apple tree. I got good tomatoes but the pumpkins were in the shade the most so they didn't do so hot.

The only place I have in my yard that is in the sun all day is over my septic field. I don't know if you can plant a veggie garden over a septic field.

 

[silkiechicken]

Good question.. Not sure how a septic field is designed in some places, but I know ours here is rather deep in the ground and above it grows killer black berries. They seem to thrive over the field. Black berries are a weed here but a tasty one at least.

 

[ridgefire]

I'm not sure how deep my septic field is, I cant imagine its more that a couple inches deep under the sod.

 

[patandchickens]

The usual recommendation is to avoid disturbing the soil over a septic field if possible, or if you really want a garden there, plant something perennial and drought tolerant and not deep-rooted, and then don't be cultivatin' or diggin' or watering there. Like, ever.

A veg garden on the leachfield would probably be a significantly bad idea, both for the health of people eating the veggies (esp. root veggies) and ALSO for the health of your leachfield, which can cost $5,000-10,000+ to repair or replace if damaged.

Can you find somewhere that gets most-of-the-day sun that's just big enough for your pumpkins, and leave everything else in the veg garden's current site?

If not, you may just have to resign yourself to not growing pumpkins.

In principle you might try container-growing in the sunny site, so's not to have to disturb the soil over the leachfield.... BUT I'm skeptical that's the solution here, since punkins are not generally a good container crop at all, and you don't want to be smothering the leachfield with containers sitting on it, or having container runoff soaking into the soil there. I wouldn't do it to our leachfield, that's for sure.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[ridgefire]

Thanks Pat

I was only growing pumpkins for Jack o lanterns and treats for the girls in the winter.

So I guess if I dont grow them this year the only ones that will suffer will be the chicks.

 

[patandchickens]

I had a thought while I was out cleaning the horse shed this afternoon ... any chance you could plant the pumpkins to the side of the leachfield, just train the vines in that direction so the*leaves* were mostly all in the nice sunny open there? You would not get quite as good production as if they could spread in all directions but you should still get SOME crop.

Just a random thought,

Pat