Bamboo Garden Stakes

A new blog reader has asked me what I use bamboo for. Previously I had mentioned bamboo but didn't talk about its uses here upon my farms. So.....here is one use:

Garden Stakes

(Above, temporary stakes outline some newly seeded beds until the peas and beans germinate.) 

While everyone automatically thinks of the thicker sturdy canes for using as stakes, I'm thinking more on the line of thin stakes for marking garden beds, marking newly planted items, holding up orchid flowers, etc. Just about everyone I know who is growing and using their bamboo throws away the thin stems. But I find them really useful for lightweight stakes. 

Pluses.....

Biodegradable

Renewal

Non-toxic

Lightweight

Rot resistant

Easy to use

Didn't cost me a penny

Very handy since they grow right here on the farm

Uses:

1- Propping up orchids.

2- Marking the corners of a newly created garden bed.

3- Marking a plant or a pumpkin so that I can see it and find it again. 

4- Holding a temporary garden label.

5- Marking that need special attention, such as pumpkin blossoms that need to be kept treated with dipel. 

I often color code the top of the stakes for one reason or another. Leftover paint makes a good marking system. Green= save seed from this variety. Red = don't save seed. Yellow = evaluate for possible seed saving. 

A bit of bright cloth or tape makes the stake highly visible so that I can relocate the pumpkin, young transplant, whatever. Rather than buying tape, I usually use a bit from discarded clothing that I make into rags. 

I'm sure there will be plenty of more ways to use thin bamboo pieces as I create this homestead. But this is what I'm doing so far.