link to Home Page

Gray Water


In the designs of my home systems, you can set up your gray water system to run into planting/raised beds and tables preferably to a greenhouse adjacent to or part of your home. All of your water used for cleaning, bathing, in the kitchen, and your urine (yes, you should pee in the shower) will go into the beds/tables. Set it up for gravity flow, locate your water usage areas above the plants root systems/soil in beds, etc. All of the rich nutrients from urine, hair, skin, vegetable scraps, even natural soaps will greatly improve the health of your plants and soil.

Best to use an aggregate mixture of soil, perhaps sandy loam, with a touch of clay near the edges of the beds to help keep the moisture toward the plants and prevent leakage should your tables/beds be improvised or relatively permeable. Another set up is to have tables above some beds. Grow sun loving plants on the tables and let the excess water drip down to the shade tolerating plants below. Make tables with screens and non-rotting fabric for water soakage. If possible set beds directly into floor with or without waterproofing on bottom/sides, preferably in the subsoil of your home. This whole set up for beds/tables, etc. should be on the south side of your home, perhaps a slight easterly aspect is fine, or better, depending on where you are located.

Offered by Steven.

icon