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Planting over a broken septic field #924701

Asked February 17, 2026, 2:26 PM EST

Hello! I just bought a house that is on an acre and a half. There was a broken septic tank that had been removed and filled in. How should I start in healing this land? I'm interested in fruit trees and veggie gardens. What distance should I consider safe to plant? Is there a cover crop that could seed in this area to remove some of the toxins? Is a soil test the place to start? Thanks for the assistance!

Washtenaw County Michigan

Expert Response

Hello and thank you for your inquiry.

In order to give you the best information, a few questions for you:

  • Are they still on septic? If so, where is it located in proximity to the old system?
  • Was the tank truly removed or just crushed and filled? Crushing and filling in place is the most common and recommended method, so it is most likely what happened unless they specified true removal.
  • What type of soil testing are you referring to? To test for contamination? If it is for contamination, it seems safer to just plant over the old abandoned tank than to dig it up and potentially expose yourself to pathogens.
An abandoned septic tank should not pose a health concern after there has been time for the waste to naturally dissipate and be treated by the soil. If you give it some time (hard to say exactly how much time, but a few months at least), I don’t think that there is a risk of planting over it with any plants. However, if there is still concrete in the ground, they may have some trouble with deeper digging.

It is hard to say what distance away would be safe, but in general, you would want to plant a distance away where you believe the roots won't affect your current system (if you do currently have a septic system).

Thank you for submitting your question.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied February 20, 2026, 4:18 PM EST

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