Growing Bamboo: Choosing the Right Varieties for Food, Building, and Crafts

Ever thought about growing bamboo in your garden? It grows so fast, and it’s incredibly useful! You can eat it, build cool things with it, make fun crafts, and it can even help your garden grow better.

Here in Thailand, where I live, we’ve seen how useful growing bamboo can be. Now, people all over the world are starting to see all the amazing things it can be used for. If you’re curious about growing bamboo and what you can do with it once it’s ready, keep reading and watch the videos.

Yummy in My Tummy: Growing Bamboo for Eating

Did you know you can actually eat bamboo? Only the young shoots, though! Not every type of bamboo is tasty, but some are real treats. One of my favorites, and one we recently planted, is called “sweet bamboo.” It’s a big deal here in Thailand. It really is sweet! Some people even eat the new shoots raw, like a crunchy veggie stick.

This sweet bamboo doesn’t get super tall, only about 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) high, and it grows like crazy during the rainy season. That means lots of delicious shoots for us to harvest! We like to boil them, steam them, stir-fry them, and throw them into curries. What’s neat about bamboo is that it soaks up the flavors of whatever you cook it with, but it keeps its own mild, slightly sweet taste and a nice crunchy bite.

If you want to grow bamboo you can eat, look for kinds called “sweet bamboo.” You can also search online for other types that are good to eat, like Bambusa vulgaris or Dendrocalamus asper. They grow in soil that’s a mix of sand and dirt and like a good drink of water, especially when they’re young. Make sure you harvest the shoots when they’re small and tender. People have been eating bamboo shoots all over Southeast Asia for a very long time! And now, cooks everywhere are starting to find out how tasty they are too.

Building Big and Strong: Bamboo for Construction

Now, let’s talk about building stuff with bamboo. Bamboo is seriously strong! We planted a type called Dendrocalamus sericeus (it’s a mouthful, I know!) as we were building our house about seven years ago. This bamboo grows super tall, like over 25 meters (80 feet.) Even though it’s not as thick as some other types of bamboo, this kind is super strong and grows really straight up. That makes it ideal for scaffolding, and the kind of houses people have traditionally built in Southeast Asia for generations. I like to use it in our garden:

As trellis
for teepees
Fencing
for biochar.

Believe it or not, some types of bamboo are as strong as or even stronger than steel for their weight! That’s why it’s safe enough to use for big building projects. We also have another type called “giant bamboo” (Dendrocalamus giganteus). This one is HUGE – it can grow as tall as a small skyscraper and super thick! It’s great for making the main parts of buildings, big furniture, and it is even used for water pipes!

If you want to grow bamboo for building, you’ll want to choose types that grow tall and strong. When you harvest it, make sure you treat it properly so it lasts a long time. People in SE Asia have been using bamboo to build amazing things like houses and bridges for a very long time. And these days, architects and builders are using bamboo in cool, modern buildings too!

Cool Creations: Bamboo for Furniture and Crafts

Besides food and buildings, bamboo is also awesome for making things! You can create all sorts of furniture with it, from sturdy tables and chairs to cool shelves. The giant bamboo is great for bigger, stronger pieces, while thinner, bendier types are perfect for more detailed designs.

And when it comes to crafts, the sky’s the limit! Bamboo can be used to make pretty baskets, floor mats, and hats. People also make musical toys like flutes and xylophones from it. You can even make decorations out of bamboo! . Different types of bamboo have different qualities – some are flexible for weaving, others are strong for carving.

If you’re thinking of growing bamboo for crafts, look for types that give you the right size and bendiness. When you cut it, you’ll need to dry it and maybe split it to get it ready for your projects.

Thinking Outside the Box: Other Reasons for Growing Bamboo

But wait, there’s more! Bamboo is so versatile, people are coming up with all sorts of other clever uses for it:

Making Biochar:

You can burn bamboo in a special way to create biochar, which is great for your garden soil. We even use it to get our pizza oven nice and hot!

Water Pipes:

The big, hollow stems of giant bamboo have been used for carrying water for irrigation. It’s a natural and cool alternative to plastic pipes.

Making Clothes:

Believe it or not, you can turn bamboo into soft fabric for clothes! It’s a pretty eco-friendly way to make textiles.

Unique Instruments:

Besides the usual ones, there are all sorts of cool and unique bamboo musical instruments around the world.

Fences and Garden Fun:

Bamboo makes great natural fences and cool stuff for your garden, like trellises for climbing plants.

New Ideas:

People are even using bamboo to make things like bicycles and phone cases!

Grow Your Own Bamboo Adventure

So, there you have it! Bamboo is way more than just a snack for pandas. It’s a fantastic plant that can give you food, building materials, crafting supplies, and so much more. If you’re thinking about planting some bamboo in your garden, consider what you want to use it for. Do you want yummy shoots? Or strong poles for building? Maybe some thin pieces for weaving?

No matter where you are in the world, with a little research, you can find bamboo varieties that will thrive in your climate. It’s a fast-growing, sustainable resource that can be a real asset to your garden and your life. Why not give it a try and unlock the amazing potential of bamboo for yourself? You might be surprised at all the cool things you can do with it!

Growing Bamboo: Varieties for Various Uses

Here’s a chart with information on bamboo varieties suitable for different purposes. I’ve tried to include details on clumping/running, height, culm diameter, and growing conditions. Keep in mind that bamboo taxonomy can sometimes be complex, and specific growing conditions can vary based on local climates.

Use	Bamboo Variety	Clumping/Running	Height (m)	Culm Diameter (cm)	Growing Conditions
Eating	Dendrocalamus asper	Clumping	20-30	15-30	Tropical, moist, well-drained soil
	Bambusa oldhamii	Clumping	15-20	8-15	Subtropical, adaptable to various soils
	Phyllostachys edulis	Running	10-20	10-18	Temperate, well-drained, slightly acidic soil
	Bambusa beecheyana	Clumping	10-18	5-8	Subtropical, drought-tolerant
	Dendrocalamus latiflorus	Clumping	18-25	12-20	Tropical, high rainfall
Building	Dendrocalamus giganteus	Clumping	20-30	20-30	Tropical, fertile soil, high rainfall
	Guadua angustifolia	Clumping	15-25	10-15	Tropical, riverbanks, well-drained soil
	Phyllostachys bambusoides	Running	15-25	15-20	Temperate, moist, fertile soil
	Dendrocalamus strictus	Clumping	8-16	5-8	Tropical, drought-resistant, poor soils
	Bambusa balcooa	Clumping	18-25	10-18	Tropical, heavy soils
Furniture	Bambusa vulgaris	Clumping	12-20	8-12	Tropical, adaptable, well-drained soil
	Gigantochloa apus	Clumping	15-20	10-15	Tropical, moist, fertile soil
	Dendrocalamus membranaceus	Clumping	10-15	5-8	Tropical, adaptable
	Phyllostachys nigra	Running	5-10	2-5	Temperate, adaptable, prefers shade
	Thyrsostachys siamensis	Clumping	10-18	5-10	Tropical, dry areas
Crafts	Bambusa textilis	Clumping	8-12	3-5	Subtropical, tight clumps, strong culms
	Bambusa multiplex	Clumping	3-8	1-3	Subtropical, hedge bamboo
	Phyllostachys aurea	Running	5-10	2-4	Temperate, ornamental, slow spread
	Schizostachyum brachycladum	Clumping	10-15	3-6	Tropical, thin-walled
	Cephalostachyum pergracile	Clumping	10-15	3-5	Tropical, graceful, drooping tips

Important Notes:

Clumping vs. Running: Clumping bamboos stay relatively contained, while running bamboos spread more aggressively via rhizomes. This is crucial to consider for garden planting.
Height and Diameter: These are approximate and can vary with environmental conditions.
Growing Conditions: These are general guidelines. Always research the specific needs of a variety for your local climate and soil.

For more information about different varieties of bamboo and in which climates they grow, please take a look at this article.

To learn how bamboo is a hero for climate change mitigation, please check out this video.