I am a complete newbie where gardening is concered. After so many years of condo living, moving to the country on an acre of land, half of it on a slope, I need lots of help to keep me from committing major errors. Not moving till late June, so I guess this year is a write-off for gardening, is it? What can I plant so late in the season? Where do I begin? What can I plant on top of septic bed?
How is your septic bed layed out? on flat yard or a slope? pretty, most septic beds are sandy, I have sweet williams growing on mine SB area as well as snow on the mountain, which is invasive but can be kept to an decent size area if mown. A little tip if you have a septic tank as well, many older properties just had the beds. If you have a tank, find out where your pumpout hole is and mark it with a large planter that can be easily moved when the smelly task of getting it emptied comes around. When you get settled in you should post a photo of the area in ? and then it might be easier to assisst.
We only have the beds. This house is 105 years old. The bed is on a flat area. I hope that's a good thing. The interior has had major work done - upgraded plumbing and electrical. We will be switching from an oil furnace to a natural gas furnace as soon as we move in. Good tax breaks for going green. So, is it OK to have perennials or just annuals and grass on top of the tile beds?
If there is grass already growing then chances are you a go for perrenials. There are a lot of old century homes here in Nova Scotia with only septic beds and some of them have wonderful flower beds. Some perennial plants can grow in slightly raise beds, like a mound, plant the perennial plants on the top where there is a deeper amount of soil and annuals around the bottom of the mound. Just a suggestion. On the septic bed it self, you'll know if you have a problem if there are spots that never dry up. You might want to check with the previous owner if possible.
Thank you. I appreciate all your good advice. Why do I feel like such a fish out of water? I really know nothing about gardening. Why, just the other day I wanted to pull out a bush that just looked like a big bushy weed. Good thing I didn't because it turned out to be the most wonderfully scented phlox with big white clumps of flowers resembling hydrangea. Like I said, I don't have a clue.
Welcome to the forum, Erika! And don't worry about your newbie-ness. I came to gardening fairly late, in my mid-thirties. There was no internet then, so I began by reading books -- which at the time were almost always written by British garden authorities and filled with lovely pictures of plants that wouldn't grow very well for me in Virginia, as I discovered only after considerable trouble and expense. The first really practical book I found to help guide my thinking as a budding gardener was probably The American Weekend Gardener by Pamela Thorpe, a New Yorker whose country garden was somewhere in upstate New York -- probably not too different from your own growing conditions -- and as I recall, specifically targeted at people in your situation. (This was also my situation as I was moving from Washington, DC, to a country place near Charlottesville, VA.) You might track down a used copy somewhere, if you're interested. Most perennials are probably safe to grow on your septic field, but I would avoid North American prairie natives, as these often develop very deep root systems to cope with the extremes of mid-continental summers. You can learn a lot just by driving around and taking note of what everybody else in growing in your area, and what's on sale at the local garden centers. You can also learn a lot by browsing the discussion threads here, which is especially nice because this is such an international gathering place, and gardeners all over the world experience very much the same kind of rewards and frustrations. Have fun!
