Did we kill the plants already?

The day after I posted about our container garden, our friend Maier warned us about using recycled water. Some "gray" water is safe for the garden, but not all. I found this Australian government website containing the following guidelines:

‘Black water’ is water that has come in contact with toilet wastes. Black water has to be chemically treated and disinfected before it can be reused. General cautions include:

* Never use water that has come in contact with the toilet, or any other toileting fixture such as a bidet or urinal.
* Don’t use water that has been used to wash soiled nappies - this is also considered black water.
* Don’t reuse the water when you wash domestic pets, because of the high level of bacterial contamination.
* Don’t use grey water from the kitchen, as this can be contaminated with grease, bacteria and chemicals.

Common contaminants in grey water
If it is not used properly, grey water can make the householders ill and kill off the plants you are trying to care for. Some of the common contaminants in grey water include:
* Salts
* Food materials

* Household detergents, soaps and chemicals
* Bacteria and other disease-causing microbes.

Health risk comparison:
The health risks to you and your family depend on how you use grey water. Examples include:
* Laundry rinse water is low risk, while grey water from the kitchen is high risk.
* Sub-surface irrigation pipes are low risk, while hosing the garden with grey water is high risk.
* Using grey water on ornamental plants is low risk, while using it on vegetable gardens is high risk.

I'm not sure why laundry detergent is considered less of a problem than dishwashing detergent. If you plan to use gray water for plants I recommend reading all of the guidelines at the site.

When I told my son not to water with kitchen water, he was distraught. "You mean we killed them already?" He needn't worry, as the first pea plant has sprouted.

Speaking of the environment, a revised version of my post on traffic circles appeared at the environmental blog Green Prophet.

Discussion on my other guest posts is still going strong over at Orthonomics and Crunchy Domestic Goddess.

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Our Israeli Container Garden

The second floor of our apartment has a large, sunny porch. At one point we had a thriving herb garden, which now contains only a geranium, some sad-looking rosemary, and a miniature citrus tree. I am gratified that the tree survived long enough for us to enjoy the single kumquat, since we couldn't eat the fruit until the fourth year of neta revai (see the fourth paragraph here for more explanation). That tree came close to dying more than once.

After picking the kumquat we had to let it be hefker, or ownerless, because it had kedushat shvi'it, the holiness of the sabbatical year. (All fruit from trees that bloomed after last Tu beShevat have this status). We had to leave it in a place where others could take it if they liked. We put it out in our living room with a sign, and, when we remembered, pointed it out to visitors. No one took it, but the kumquat got slightly smushed. We should have another chance soon.

A, age 12, has been nudging me to start planting again. Since he had a day off from school yesterday, we went into town and bought seven bags of seeds: Shallots, thyme, "baby mix" (even though the storekeeper said he didn't have any lettuce), garden peas, basil, sage, and broccoli. Mimi donated a package of chamomile.

At home we collected the old pots and soil from the dead plants, saving the dried branches and leaves for compost. In a large bowl, A mixed the soil with dried compost from two years ago (another project we need to revive). He placed broken china into the bottom of the pots so that the roots wouldn't sit in water, and refilled the pots. He swept up the dirt and called me to help decide which seeds to plant in each pot. The two smaller children helped with the planting. Then A labelled the pots.

We placed the containers in a partially shaded spot to minimize evaporation, since the forecast is for another hot and dry week. I wonder if we should bring them inside until they sprout.

I am resolved to use only recycled water for this garden. The challenge is to collect the water and get it up to the second floor. I placed a dishpan in the kitchen sink to collect used water, and poured it through a strainer into a bucket. Straining the water might not be necessary as small amounts of vegetable matter can only help the plants.

My husband and I think that we can also use recycled water for the first cycle of the washing machine.

I would like to hear readers' suggestions about container gardening and conserving water. Fern's blog, Life on the Balcony, is an excellent resource for container gardeners.

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Food shortages

Apparently matzah isn't the only food in low supply. On the radio this morning they interviewed an American about the grocery chain Costco, which is limiting the amount of rice people can purchase. She couldn't remember anything similar since the second world war. They then interviewed an Israeli food expert. He was reassuring, saying that Israel produces 1.5 times the amount of food that it needs. Of the excess, half goes to the Palestinian territories and half to the US and Europe. And even though we don't grow much wheat, we have more than enough potatoes to meet the country's needs. (Pesach all year round?) That is, he continued, assuming the price of water doesn't get too high. Israel's water situation is at a crisis level and as usual our leaders aren't paying much attention.

The thought of having excess food, while our neighbors (like Egypt) are having food riots because of rising costs, does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.