I’m talking, of course, of something called clay pot irrigation.

This is where you bury unglazed clay pots in your garden, fill them with water, and plant your veggies (or anything you want to grow) within the range of influence of the slowly leaking pot. Over a matter of days, the water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that’s influenced by the plant’s water use.

According to the article on the topic at Eco Composite, clay pot irrigation “leads to very high efficiency–much better than drip irrigation and as much as ten times more efficient than conventional surface irrigation.”

You don’t have to worry about watering every day–just fill up the pots as they dry out.

Clay pot irrigation has been around for more than 2,000 years (it may have started in China), so it’s definitely stood the test of time. And, as with so many things, the old ways are sometimes as good or better than the new ways, especially when we’re talking about water and energy conservation.

For those who want more information and ideas on how to implement clay pots for irrigation, here are some videos on Youtube:

But let’s not jump ahead here.  We want to start with the basics.  Such as…

What is graywater?

Graywater is the used water from showers, sinks, bathtubs, and washing machines.  It doesn’t include water from dishwashers or toilets (no water that is involved with human waste).  In some areas, kitchen sink water is considered graywater (definitions vary a bit depending on local building codes).

In most households, over half the water used results in graywater waste.  This means that fairly innocuous water is just being washed down the drains.

Uses for Graywater

The most common residential use for graywater is to irrigate lawns, landscaping beds, and gardens. It can be routed into a drip watering system so that plants can receive moisture even during dry stretches.

Not only does this make sense on the water conservation front, but it’s a heck of a lot easier on you to set up a largely automated system that doesn’t involve you standing outside with a hose and watering your lawn or garden in the evening!

We’ll talk more about installing a graywater collection and distribution system in the future.  If you’re looking for more information right now, here are a couple books to check out:

Graywater: The Next Wave

The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems