You may think that your yard needs perfectly clean water whenever you water it, but that isn’t the case. You can actually use a lot of ‘gray water’, that is, water that has already been used once. Here are a few examples that you can try:
- Bath water: The average bath holds up to 100 liters of water. That’s a lot of water just to let drain through the plug hole! Instead, save that water and use it in your garden. You can either scoop it out with buckets, or you can buy a grey water diverter that will divert that water into storage in your yard.
- Dishwater: This works on the same principle as your bath water. Once you’re done with it, use it to water some plants. If they’re not ready to be watered yet, simply pour it into a storage butt.
- Rainwater: There’s nothing freer or more eco-friendly than using rainwater to water your plants. Keeping a water butt to collect the runoff from your rain gutters is a great idea. You can save up to 4,000 liters of water in one butt, depending on which kind you buy. If you have a particularly rainy season, that’s a lot of water you can save for later use.
Remember, household soaps and detergents won’t harm your plants, but bleaches and disinfectants will. If your water contains this, don’t use it in your yard.