Hi Becky! This old thread is interesting. Do you still have problems with the ground sinking over that stump 5 years later? When I had my back yard redone, they removed a tree that was probably close to 2 feet in diameter. They removed the entire root ball pictured below to avoid a continual sinking of the ground above. I'm surprised you haven't seen more problems than it sounds like you have. I had a comparatively small dogwood removed due to age a good 8 years ago. This year just now is showing the greatest amount after effect from so many years ago. I have several holes up to 6 inches in diameter because the roots that were not removed are finally deteriorating. I've been trying to fill them with sand and soil but it will take time for it all to settle out completely. I fear you haven't seen the worst of it yet.

Oh not this again. A while back there was a post about planting on top of an upside down pot. I think if you want this tree to do well long term, dig up the stump.

It should be possible to plant a new tree by grinding up the stump and removing as many of its roots as possible. Live Oaks and Red Maples are both native to East Texas and would be good choices for the spot you describe. The soil is most likely sandy and will be enriched with organic matter once you grind up the stump, but you could always add more compost. Ty

Well, my point about relevance was that if you really know what's in your greywater, you're certain that plants should be able to tolerate it, and that it isn't a septic hazard, conversations about how to manage gardening over what is essentially sewage flow in a septic tank drainage field doesn't really contribute a lot. If I am careful about what is in my greywater, it's hard to understand how its use could be disadvantageous for vegetable growing. As I keep saying, it's really about what is in your greywater. Thank you Marianne. That is very interesting about regulations against using greywater. I guess I was only vaguely aware of that. That is certainly a more pertinent issue. It must be a matter of trusting the homeowner to know what is really grey and what is not, and some municipalities don't. As in, how dark a shade of grey. Now, I can imagine that stuff that comes out of dishwashers and clothes washers could, under some circumstances, when used by environmentally clueless folks, be truly environmentally hazardous waste. Now, how is it justified that rainwater collection from a rooftop is illegal in Nevada? Seems to me that if you don't collect it, it's just going to end up in the soil anyway. That regulation is about timing, rather than pollution.