Re: Septic System Demo Garden
Margaret Lauterbach wrote:
>
> At 05:42 PM 8/2/98 -0700, you wrote:
> >Having just experienced this years' thrill....having a septic system
> >installed, I'm seriously contemplating building our major perennial
> >demonstration bed on top of it. The drainfield comes within 5 feet of
> >the parking area. If I build an enormous perennial bed on top of the
> >drainfield and front the whole thing with a decorative barrier, cars
> >won't be able to drive forward enough to crush my inspection ports.
> >I'd also like to include on it, a smallish tree or two. What does
> >anybody have to say about this idea? Will I wreck the system?
> >Perennials as a rule, shouldn't have roots so extensive that they go 24
> >inches down and foul the drainfield, right?
> >--
> >The Greenhouse Nursery
> >81 S. Bagley Creek Road & Hwy 101
> >Port Angeles, WA 98362
> >(360) 417-2664
> >Zone 8
> >
> This sounds as if this is an established nursery that has "just" had a
> septic system installed.
First of all, the 'established' nursery has been open for 16 months.
That's it. And we are on track to gross $100,000 in sales for this
year. I thought hard for 4 years about how to set the nursery up, and
apparently I did something right for once. We have customers making 3
hour drives to come. We are fairly priced (average perennial is
$4.79....tissue culture perennials are $6.99) and everyone who works
there knows that the cardinal sin is a wilted plant. (We lost 1
ornamental grass in the heat wave that passed thru).
Nobody ever goes from sewer to septic system, so
> I infer that you've been using a path to the outhouse.
The septic system is enormous. Big enough to run a Costco. I had it
designed to accomodate the nursery with a projected 6 fold expansion and
a 3 bedroom house that will be built on the property in 2 years. And
yes, sniff, our outhouse is neatly concealed beneath an arbor that is
covered with golden hops, silverlace vine, Convulvulous 'Star Of Yelta',
and two solanums off to the flanks. People have to ask where our
bathroom is , even tho the arbor is right in front of them.
Were I you, I would
> not plant woody plants on the drainfield, and I don't believe edible plants
> are recommended either. Margaret
What? No carrots? Really, I know that. But don't any woody plants
have shallow root systems? I'd dearly love to plant a Styrax japonica
(Japanese Snowbell). How about Sambucus 'Ghuizo'? How deep do
Eupatorium roots go? And I want to put a Miscanthus 'Morning Light'
(Maiden Grass) at the far corner. What do THOSE roots do?
I grow all these things quite well in containers, but have not put them
in the ground because I don't want to waste premium plants on our house,
which will be a rental once the house is built at the GH. And prior to
my growing these plants, they weren't available around here.
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--
The Greenhouse Nursery
81 S. Bagley Creek Road & Hwy 101
Port Angeles, WA 98362
(360) 417-2664
Zone 8
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