Planting Flowers on top of septic lid.?

I have a 6x4 septic lid that is flush with the ground I am planning to plant flowers on top of. I plan on covering the lid with soil and planting herbaceous flowers on top, since nothing else is safe to plat near a septic. If this works, how thick should I make the soil and will the flowers be able to survive? I figure annuals may, but will it be enough for perennials?

Planting Flowers on top of septic lid.?
Depending on the flowers, you should be fine with 4-6" of soil- just as if you are planting in a pot or planter box.





Downside: hope you don't have to access the septic!
Reply:My wife did a raised bed on our lid and mid summer Murphy's Law struck and it needed cleaning. The guy from the septic company was great. Instead of tearing up the garden looking for the access cover he lifted the entire lid, garden and all. I built it with 2X10's and 8 inches of soil was plenty for the annuals she planted. We never tried perennials but the annuals got a great start every year because of the heat generated in the tank.. RScott
Reply:I have 4-6" of soil on top of my septic tank cover with some 'weedy' perennials planted. I don't mind digging up the plants when the septic tank needs to be pumped.





It is not a big job to remove that little soil. I do have to water extra well there when there is a drought.
Reply:Are you sure you want to do that? Your septic system will need cleaned out periodically. Burrying the access cover to it could either mean a lot of work for you digging it out or a lot of added expense when it needs cleaned out. Your tank should be cleaned every 3 to 5 years. Check out this link for more information about septic tanks:


http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt9401...
Reply:i would try about a foot or so 12 inches just to be safe =)
Reply:6 inches of top soil should be enough and it will work for both



c++