Uses for bamboo around the homestead?

sherryo

We too have both running and clumping.  I love the idea for keeping cats out of the pots.  We use them mostly as stakes - keep firewood tarped, hold wood bracing in place, painted purple to mark our property lines, etc.  Their most important function however is privacy.  It's one of the few things that has been able to survive an all out deer attack in the middle of winter.

EarlKelly

I have some running bamboo that I use for stakes mostly. Just started making my own trellises for my morning glories to climb on. Just started looking into clumping bamboo for some bigger type. Any suggestions?

maimover

Recently got quite a bundle from a friend to fix parts of an aging fence...

greyfurball

I pretty much use bamboo for everything if I need a stake for something. A few examples:

1. vertical plant climbing teepees for the garden or flowerbeds (with or without the twine ladder - depends on the plant growing in it.
2. fence posts in the garden to hold up a short-term trellis or to place a portable fence around any section where I temporarily want it
3. to mark off a just planted/seeded bed so I know where it starts/stops
4. to hold up my sunflowers when they get tall and heavy
5. add an assortment to a plain flowerbed before it has much growth for some interest to look at
6. use as stakes to build anything (like around the firewood bin/ around the bin for my compost pile/around the bin where I store my Fall leaves/ where I store my organic straw and alfalfa grass
7. use as ground covers to deter cats from freshly planted soil
8. use as stakes to hold up a newly planted tree or bush
9. make a four corner square around my fruit trees, add a row cover wrap around the four poles and then fill it with Fall leaves. It makes a great wrap to protect trees and bushes during winter weather

My list here could go on and on but you can see as I mentioned, if I need a pole for anything bamboo is what I use.

judsoncarroll4

I'm a big fan of bamboo.... and wow, do I have a resource for you! The Book of Bamboo:

https://archive.org/details/TheBookOfBambooPart1-DavidFarrelly

https://archive.org/details/TheBookOfBambooPart2-DavidFarrelly

https://archive.org/details/TheBookOfBambooPart3-DavidFarrelly

https://archive.org/details/TheBookOfBambooPart4-DavidFarrelly

jjocean

Neighbor has a great stand of bamboo and I help myself often. In addition to the usual stakes and trellises my peppers always burn up in August so I made a temporary frame for a shade sail. Its hot in Texas and I still have bell peppers making. Last year they all burnt up. The beds with roofing siding seem to allow the soil to get too hot. I have other beds made from cinderblocks and they seem to be better. Bamboo is flexible, stands the wind, and is ...... free.

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

@judsoncarroll4 Thank you!

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

@jjocean that is an awesome idea! I'm in Texas as well so I get it lol.