A blank slate

[zippyt]

Just one question - are those pictures current?
Yes they were taken this last weekend ( 3/24-25/07 )
Mid to upper 60's at nite , upper 70's low 80's in the day ,
Oh I beleve we have a cold snap comeing , it may hold off till October though ,

I'm no septic system expert, since our house is on the city sewer lines, but don't you want to plant just grass over a leach field to keep roots of larger plants from growing down into the pipes and clogging them?
Yeppers thats why we are doing our guarden in raised beds ,

[zippyt]

Now the question IS ,
1) do we just fill with dirt and start planting
or
2) put down black plastic , a layer of rock ( for drainage ) and then fill with dirt and plant ??

Most info I can find is not verry specfic , they just want you to buy their raised garden products ( boards , corners , etc,,,,,,)

[Clodfobble]

What purpose would the black plastic serve?

[monster]

The black plastic would prevent interference between root and septic issues?

I'd say yes, the plastic, perhaps with a few strategic drainage holes, but raise the gardens by another plank otherwise you will not have enough depth for topsoils and fertilizer additions in years to come. I'm no expert, though and have never gardened in these conditions/Arkansas. Just a gut reaction to the pictures and issues mentioned.

[glatt]

The plastic sounds like a good idea, but damn if I know. I'm just guessing. Maybe it would interfere with evaporation from the leach field.

Do you have a county extension person you could call and ask? They have these Master Gardeners all over the country who volunteer and their sole purpose is to answer questions like this.

Edit: I bet Master Gardener Patty Sue Camp could and would tell you. Her e-mail address is listed in this University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture web page. You're in Greene County, right?

[TheMercenary]

You don't need plastic. Be cautious about the type of wood you are using. If it is pressure treated lumber you don't want veggies growing near it. If anything you would want to cover the pressure treated lumber with plastic. As far as the ground over the leach field you need it to breath. The plant roots will not effect the leach field and may in fact help it breath. Here is a great book to get. I learned a lot about septics this way.
http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/ssom_book.html

[xoxoxoBruce]

And don't use blue toilet paper.

[Undertoad]

The leeching problem with pressure-treated lumber has been solved - they changed out the chem that was suspect. If you got the lumber in the last few years it'll be fine.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

The leeching problem with pressure-treated lumber has been solved - they changed out the chem that was suspect. If you got the lumber in the last few years it'll be fine.

I am not sure I would trust any chemical introduced into lumber under high pressure and temp that may be picked up by veggies I am eating. It really would not be that hard to wrap those board in some thick mil plastic and not take a chance. JMHO.

[Undertoad]

Nahh - if you cover it with plastic, you may accidentally encourage any chems in the wood to concentrate over time and leak out in a more concentrated form in one location. Worst case.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Nahh - if you cover it with plastic, you may accidentally encourage any chems in the wood to concentrate over time and leak out in a more concentrated form in one location. Worst case.

Well I would only cover the side in contact with the ground directly and the interior touching the dirt in the middle with a little fold over the top lip to keep rain water or watering water from collecting on the bottom. It would be a simple step to take for one's health.