ed onto the garden directly. A bush shower is a plastic bag that hangs in a tree and it holds 5 litres of water. That is all you get, so you learn to soap yourself up using just a mug of water before showering.
The bathtub provides nourishment for you and your plants
A hot sudsy bath provides therapeutic bliss for aching joints and shivering shoulders. Run a bubble bath, using an eco-friendly body wash and tip in a big scoop of Epsom salts. This provides magnesium sulphate for you and doubles up as a plant nutrient. When lemon tree leaves turn yellow it means they need more magnesium. We don’t turn yellow, but if you are already what they call insulin resistant, get too many cramps or have high blood pressure you definitely need more magnesium. It is easily absorbed by the skin, according to research done by a group of nutritional scientists. It feels good and relaxing on the skin and eases your creaking joints, so enjoy the benefits of your bath! Don’t pull out the plug - recycle the water. Mother Nature will give you a medal for being so resourceful.
The washing machine is a great source of grey water
The drain outlet pipe of your washing machine is easy enough to find – It has a ridged or flexible pipe that is placed inside the larger rigid drain pipe. This is where the grey water gushes out so we need to redirect it into large buckets or channel it directly out of the nearest door. Many years ago I needed to reduce the acidity of the soil beneath a row of pine trees in the garden. I attached an ordinary hosepipe to the washing machine’s drain outlet pipe (with duct tape) and the area was automatically watered. After a month or two, the soil pH balanced out and I could grow shrubs in the new flower bed. It is advisable to use washing powder that is eco-friendly because the regular super whitening big smile detergents are too high in phosphates.
One option is to allow the first rinse to flow down the drain and then capture the rest of the rinsing water in large buckets. The average modern washing machine consumes 57 – 114 litres of water so it is worth the effort. Older machines squander between 109 – 170 litres so make sure you have a full load of washing. We need to be more considerate when tossing items into the wash basket. Not every pair of denim jeans, for instance needs to be washed every time you wear them and being more careful with treating stains will help to prevent extra wash loads.
If all else fails, get a plastic lawn and water your roof garden with grey water!Credit: Sue Visser