Tomatoes Love Bathwater
Bob Pennington

There have been many greywater renegades in the past few years and one conclusion we have come to is "Tomatoes love bath water." Is it that the small amounts of hair, skin and other odd micronutrients are of benefit? Is it that chlorine and other gases have a chance to bubble out? Are the shampoos and soaps acting as surfactants, allowing the water to penetrate and be absorbed more rapidly? Who knows? Who cares? The fact remains, "Tomatoes love bath water!" And so do most other vegetables. It's possible that root crops, i.e., onions, carrots, etc., might pick up tastes unpleasant, but it's never happened for us in our garden. Best advice - wash your produce before eating it!

When you add laundry water to the mix, the pH of the water will go up, making it even more important that organic materials be added liberally to soils, at least to soils for veggies, fruit trees and most perennials. When it comes to your choice xeric natives, first of all except for establishment, you need to add very little extra water, and secondly, the high pH may actually be preferred.

Common sense is probably the best guide to greywater applications. Obviously acid loving plants are not going to like laundry water, bleach is never acceptable, and always wash your hands and produce before eating (save that wash water too!).

It's your water. Use it, re-use it and enjoy a bountiful harvest. Between careful consumption, water harvesting and water recycling, beauty can happen!