Here's the quick and easy answers:

1.) Yes, with some exceptions
2.) No. You can only grow vegetables if the vegetable garden is sited in an area where the water absolutely, positively will not reach it.
3.) No experience, but as a lifelong gardener, and a mostly organic one, I have long listened to frustrated organic gardeners trying to make an aerobic water treatment system fit into their overall organic program.

1. Most plants will be able to tolerate, and even thrive, if you have such a system. However, there are some plants that are very sensitive to excess moisture on their foliage, and you probably would want to site any sensitive plants like that as far from the water spray as you can.
Also, a lot depends on your soil in your yard and how quickly it does or does not drain. Plants that absolutely must have good drainage/cannot stand constantly wet soil may struggle in less than perfectly well-drained soil since they will have an almost constant supply of water.

2.) It is not recommended that you grow vegetables, nuts or fruits of any kind in an area watered by an aerobic septic system. It just isn't safe. No matter what anyone tells you--even if someone swears they have done it for years with no ill effects, you still shouldn't do it.

If you have watched the news these last few years, you probably have heard of the problems with salmonella-contaminated tomatoes in 2008, as well as salmonella or E. Coli-conaminated crops the last 3 years, including melons, lettuce, green onions and spinach. How does such contamination occur? The major way is via contact between the plants/produce and either animal OR human manure. In some countries which export produce to the USA, the field crops ARE fed/watered with humanure (human manure) and that can be a major source of crop contamination.

There is also the issue of other stuff being in the wastewater, including any medications taken by anyone in your household which might be excreted in human waste.

3. No experience here. I know from talking to people who have these systems that some of them work great and some don't. I think a lot depends on how well the system is maintained. Some organic gardener homeowners "feed" either sugar or molasses to their system to encourage the aerobic process to function at its highest level. Also, be careful about what chemicals go down your drains because too many chemical cleaning agents, soaps, and bleach can kill the aerobic digesting agents and mess up the system.

If it were here at my home, I'd look for a solution so I could still have a vegetable garden and fruit and nut trees. Some people in Texas have managed to hook up their water spray part of the system to drip irrigation lines to keep the stuff down low to the ground instead of having it thrown around in the air. This makes it possible to grow veggies in containers without the water spraying on them.

Goodl luck. I hope you get advice from someone who actually has one of these systems and can tell you first-hand how they manage their system and their gardening.

Dawn

Dawn and Scott-

I can't thank you two enough for this info. It's not the response I had hoped for. Maybe I should have done some research before taking the plunge. Looks like it'll be shade trees and flowers in the back yard. I'll just have to sneak a few veggies into the front beds.

Thanks again,
Blake

Blake,

As I was typing the answer, I knew it wasn't the answer you were hoping for, and I just HATED to type it!

There's LOTS of ways to sneak veggies (and fruits and nuts)into the front yard and entire books have been written about edible landscaping. Some of the plants that look beautiful enough to plant even in areas of very-high visibility include peppers (sweet and hot), dwarf okra Little Lucy (2' tall, red, gorgeous, available from Park Seed), determinate tomatoes, swiss chard (Bright Lights is gorgeous and looks tropical), carrots, and bush beans. Lots of herbs like basil, parsley, sage, borage, chamomile, cilantro, etc. also look great in ornamental beds.

Also, if you are interested in growing in self-watering containers (like the very pricey Earthbox containers), just go to the Tomato Forum or Container Forum and do a search for Earthtainers or self-watering containers and you'll find lots of threads, complete with photos and how-to-make-them instructions. You can make your own SWCs for a fraction of the cost of buying them and some folks essentially raise an entire veggie garden in them. Best of all, you can squeeze them into tight areas....like right alongside a fence, house or garage wall, driveway, deck or porch, etc. They might enable you to raise veggies in a way that the water from your system doesn't hit them.

Good luck,

Dawn

I agree with everything above. Is it possible to cut off one of the sprinklers so you could have an area for containers. I planted a lot of containers this year and so far I am very pleased with the results. You have some up-front expense with potting mix and possibly containers (if you can't scronge enough) but it is much easier to care for than an in-ground garden.

My septic system is aerobic (an air pump puts 88L/min of air into the water of the tank 24/7) and I'm wondering if I can use this powerful "fertilizer" to water our Austrian & Ponderosa Pine trees.

HU, for sure. If you have a pre-treated system that water is great for ornamentals.

I have figured out away to use the waste water to feed the vegetables garden but i will have to set the system up and make a video on it. It took a year of research but i have a way. And is safe no way of being contaminated. I can wait to set up the system so i can record it.

Hi Richard, id like to hear what youve come up with. did you end up building the system ?