A Freecycle Haul

I posted on Freecycle.org for my area that I'd like some bamboo canes. And right away a lady answered. So today, I went to her house and hacked down several 10-12 ft bamboo canes to use for trellises and arbors. She told me I could come back next week and hack down some more, and that I can continue to come hack it down all summer if I want.

My poor van was loaded to the gills. We had to wrap the ends of the canes around in the back to get the door close. And even then, the van had a bamboo tail. LOL

As we were talking in her driveway, she said, "Oh hey, we have this compost bin the old owners had left. We don't garden. Let me ask my husband, but I'm sure he'll say it's ok if I give it to you." It was a nice rubbermaid portable bin. Looked fairly unused. So I may be the proud owner of new compost bin soon too!! WOW!! How awesome is that?!

NancyAnn

Wow, what a bonus! Those bamboo stakes can get expensive if you buy them in the store. You will have to share pictures of some of your homemade trellis's and arbors.

I was thinking about doing something like that. About how big around are the bamboo? I dont want to get them too big and then have a bunch of poles laying around LOL.
If you get that compost bin you are one lucky lucky lady, I hope you get it.

The bamboo canes are around 3/4 to an inch at the bottom. Of course they taper at the top. I'm thinking since the tops are so flexible, I can just stick the bottoms in the soil, one on each side of an entrance, and then pull the tops over to each other to form an arch.

Of course, I also want to do a trellis for a vine to grow on. So I can stick the big ends in soil, and then cut off the smaller ends and criss cross them on the standing poles, connecting them all with jute.

How does that sound? Will jute hold up? We get very little rain each year and almost no snow.

NancyAnn

Be careful....Do they root easily? If so, you may end up with a bamboo grove on your hands.

My thoughts exactly. They are very vigorous rooters and can cause problems for years if they take hold.
That's why everybody doesn't have one.
Plumbing, sidewalks, walls, fences and neighbors will all be in need of TLC if you put the big end in anything but cement. And I'm not even sure about that. You even have to be concerned about the bamboo scraps.

Bless your heart, I know you only want to have a pretty arbor'
The compost bin will be the best part of this deal.
Sidney

No...Not the compost bin, LOL! Burn it. Otherwise the compost bin will grow a bamboo grove!

No, if I let the bamboo canes die, it won't root. I'm gonna plant the dead canes, not this fresh green stuff I got today. I can go ahead and get some of my trellises made now. And then when the canes are thoroughly dried and dead, I can plant them--sometime before my plant swap in mid-May.

The compost bin is rather small. But I think it will work great for kitchen scraps. I can set it outside the kitchen door and toss stuff in it, along with stuff from my garden, IF I get it. I'll let ya know. I'm more excited about my new trellises and arbors. LOL

N.

Whew! Good deal, N!

What excellent finds! I am thoroughly impressed and even jealous! There was a house I had permission to go to a few years ago and dig it up or cut it off, whatever. I really need to check into that again. I just wanted to grow it but could not keep it alive. Sigh. Now I think I might want to build with it. LOL Thanks for putting that idea in my head. :)

Badseed, unless you have a lot of land, I don't think you wanna grow it. I know I don't. We have about an acre. And it would quickly consume our land. So I'll let this lady continue to contend with it and I'll just reap the benefits. Just find you a bamboo benefactor. LOL

N.

LOL I was going to grow it in a bathtub, sunk in the ground. I couldn't get it to take. I think maybe I was too rough trying to get it out of the ground. I broke my pitchfork! Thank goodness for Sears and Craftsman. I got a new one free. :)

I have a neighbor behind me who has a bamboo clump, last year it send a runner about 8-10 feet into my yard, I was not a happy camper, especialy since it was growing under the kids swing set. I dug it up without breaking it and then dug a hole under the privacy fence and shoved it all back in thier yard, the whole time yelling about stupid bamboo. LOL, They have since moved the clump into a raised bed that borders someone elses fence. They built it off the ground so hopefuly I wont have this problem again. Id rather go get it from someone else too because Ive seen how it can take over a yard and fast too.