We are doing some remodeling and had some plumbers working last week. We live out in the country where people have water wells and septic systems. It is common for people to run their drains from the laundry outside and simply run it on the ground. We call it gray water.
I had the plumbers dig me a large hole with their backhoe. I ran the laundry drain underground to the hole and placed a large plastic tub in the hole with a number of holes drilled in the sides of the tub. I filled the tub with large rocks and then ran the drain line into the tub. I filled the enitire hole with smaller rock covering the tub and large rock. I now have a rock bed that looks like a mountain spring when the wife is washing clothes. I plan to build some small terraces downhill from the rock bed and planting some native plants like ground cherries in the terraces. I know the laundry water grows plants well because the old drain area is the most fertile on our property. If anyone has ideas on other plants I can grow on the terraces, let me know. I would like for them to be plants that can be found in the wild, but produces edible food.
I am in zone 7 in north Texas.
Ted