6.10.12 pt 1

It’s 11:11. Another beautiful day, we’re blessed to have so many of them. We need rain tho, so badly. Someone just drove up the road and a huge dust trail covered everything. Including the laundry on the line.

We had a pretty good dust break growing along the road last year but a very kind person cut it down for us  

*-*  He offered to cut down the forsythia and sumac too after he had cut the rest. We need to get a fence up.

I got some bamboo from a friend and intend to use it as a living fence/dust break eventually but it will take some time. It does grow quickly tho so not as long as other things.

Speaking of bamboo … I have big plans for it, with caution of course. The caution is that it can take over very quickly if left to do so and could endanger native species and more. On the other hand, I believe it will be very useful in self sufficient living which has to incorporate permaculture to some degree.

My idea for living fence is to weave it loosely together once it’s tall enough. I’ve already been able to test that on the canes we have growing. The loose tie didn’t harm or inhibit them at all but did keep them in the configuration I wanted.

There’s a lot more to learn about it but I have found quite a bit already. I started looking into it’s use a few years ago, when we still lived in the Burrow. Aside from a few cautions it can be very useful as fencing, food, shelter building. The main cautions are the invasive danger and that the cut or splintered bamboo can be very sharp.

My first two projects with it will be a dust screen/ fence along the road  (small country dirt road) and living walls for the shower house to start. Since it’s constantly sending up new shoots these things will provide the food part without needing to plant specifically for food.

As a food it’s not super high in nutritional value but it’s not an empty food either. It provides fiber, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, amino acids and protein. It also contains a lot of water and is a healthy filler which can be added to other nutritional foods.