Design ideas for raised septic systems

Design ideas for raised septic systems (post #15395)

LorraineW on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 16:17

Inspired Design

I'm a complete and total gardening novice and need some help. We just bought a house in Massachusetts that has a raised septic system in the backyard. We want to "soften" the edges of the concrete that surround the outside wall of the leach field.

I've thought of everything from just planting some plants (they need to grow to about 3" to hide the concrete blocks) in front to bringing in loam to create a sloping berm.

Does anyone have any ideas or places to direct me? I've been scouring the internet and find lots of information about what not to plant on top of the field, but I'm really looking for design ideas on how to hide the concrete blocks and for ideas on what to do onto of the field. Right now it's just grass.

Any help would be much appreciated.

(post #15395, reply #1 of 4)

by Lunaria in reply to LorraineW [original] on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 18:49

Hi, Lorraine

I love gardening problems. Tell me something about the location - sun? shade? Does the ground stay "wet" most of the time? So the ground slopes away - downward from the site? All of this matters for plant selection. Do you already have any perennials on your property? Perennials come back every year.

Pat/Lunaria

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by LorraineW in reply to Anonymous [original] on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 22:16

Hi Pat-

Thanks for your thoughts! The location is mostly sun; the ground can be wet after a rain, but it does dry out. There is a fairly high water table as well. The ground does slope - from side to side - so it's higher at the left hand side of the yard than the right hand side.

It's pretty much a blank slate; it's a pretty big lot that was cleared of oak trees to install the septic system. There's not much out there!

Any ideas would be most appreciated!

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by roxanna in reply to LorraineW [original] on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 23:58

hi Lorraine ~ what are the dimensions of the raised septic area and how tall are the cement blocks above ground? (you mentioned 3 inches for the plants - did you mean that or 3 feet??) i presume the top of this area is grass. you should not plant anything on the top, really, but i expect you know that! as for the wall around it, could you perhaps create a stacked stone facing? that would disguise the cement nicely and provide a pretty background to any plants. you could keep a section as a steps up to the grassy top, great for play space, and around the perimeter put perennials & annuals and bulbs as you see fit. it could turn into a very nice garden area!

if it were up to me, i'd probably bring in some good loam and make that slanting bed. that would certainly hide the ugly cement! and the slope would provide good drainage for your plants. i, too, have a very high water table here (i'm in MA also, south&west of Worcester) and the good thing about that is i rarely have problems keeping my gardens moist and happy! the beds furthest from the house are downright boggy much of the time as the woods beyond are basically a swamp which sometimes dries out in summer, and sometimes doesn't (like last year).

good luck! and let us know how it goes for you once you get started.

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by LorraineW in reply to Anonymous [original] on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 01:42

Hi Roxanna-

You got it right, I did mean 3' and not 3". I do know I shouldn't plant on top of the septic except grass. I like the idea of stone facing the concrete and bringing in loam for sloping beds.

Sounds like we have very similar lots - I was worried that I wouldn't be able to grow anything because of the sogginess.

I just found this site and am sure I'll be back as I progress!

Thanks for you input.

Best, Lorraine

Design ideas for raised septic systems