North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Rick Valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>]

> From: "Mark Lee" <markl@nytec.com>
> Reply-To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 15:17:07 -0800
> To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: [NAFEX] bamboo for shoots
> 
> Topic #1.  I have been reading about growing bamboo, but so far I haven't
> met anyone that harvests shoots and eats them from their garden.  Let's hear
> from somebody that does.  What kind of bamboo is especially tasty and
> productive.
Mark; It Depends! Flavor differs very little among the Phyllostachys genus
bamboos. That's the major hardy genus. More important is what will match
your climate & soil. You could easily grow P. nuda, which is one of the best
for flavor & quite quick in your climate. If it's a wetter spot, try P.
atrovaginata (P. congesta)

> Topic #2.  I know that bamboo can be invasive, but I also have read that
> they are easy to control.  If you grow bamboo for shoots, how do you keep it
> from growning where you don't want it to?
You eat it, of course! The rhizome tips are just as tasty as the shoots, so
perimeter patrol with a pick to intercept the runners (rhizomes) is not
without reward. Once a year on that task, doesn't take long. And any shoot
that does not fit your management plan gets eaten. Just don't plant it slap
up against the house or boundary fence- you need a free-fire interdiction
zone that you can walk thru.

Rick in Oregon, founding member & ex-prez & ex minister of intormation for
the Pacific NW Chapter of the American Bamboo Society.