Instead of lateral lines from our septic tank, we have approximately 15' by 20' by 5' deep septic pit filled with gravel. We live in a wooded area and it's the only place that gets much sunshine. If we tilled up our nice zoysia yard that we've worked so hard to grow and planted a garden, would that pack the soil too much for the pit to work properly? Since we live on a lake, we should have water available for ocassional flushing, but we could give up indoor facilities completely if we needed to .

-- Sylvia (in Miss'ippi) (bluebirdms@aol.com), December 20, 1998

Answers

If you had a minor flood, or a big thunderstorm, the water level might rise to the top of the ground for a couple of days, and carry all kinds of interesting bacteria to contaminate any veggies that touch the ground (pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, lettuce etc.). Don't think I would do it. Consider a small greenhouse on the spot instead with plants in boxes.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), December 21, 1998.