I think my options are scythed hayfield, grazing area for animals, wildflower area for bees (honey harvesting), but I really like the idea of a lavender field (maybe I could sell at a farmer's market). It's near the house so there is an aesthetic issue to consider. It would look really nice if I can make it look like the pictures on the internet - but I'm not sure how much work this is... I do have the right Mediterranean climate and poor soil for Lavender.
These are a couple ideas I could think of for a leech field:
-growing your own clothing fiber (cotton, flax, nettles)
-plants for dyes (madder, woad, weld, indigo, pokeweed, hibiscus, etc)
-plants for candles/tea/aromatherapy (mint, lavender, basil, thyme, oregano, jasmine)
If you decide that you want lavender and want it to look like the picture then be sue to get the right variety.
I wish my lavender looked like those in the picture. Mine don't have that color nor do they bloom profusely like those.
Here in the Texas Hill Country, we have some lavender farms with pictures like that.
Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Don't count your weasels before they've popped. And now for a mulberry bush related tiny ad: