A coworker of mine was showing me a new desktop photo he had on his computer here at work. It was of bamboo. It reminded me of the bamboo that grew in Washington DC at the zoo for the panda bears.
My coworker and I talked about it for a little while, about how fast bamboo grows and how resilient it is in even cold climates.
I was talking to Todd over the weekend about my conversation with Mike. I informed Todd that I found several different varieties of bamboo that would grow in our cold climate. I informed him that I think Squiggy may really like to gnaw on bamboo, and I thought we should grow a couple of canes just for him. Bamboo makes excellent barriers between neighbors as well, which we have been contemplating with the neighbors behind us.
Todd brought up a great point about bamboo, asking if one could dry it out and burn it. Low and behold, you CAN! So, after we are done with the wood we have (we have at least 2-3 years worth of wood that still needs to be split for use,) we are most likely going to grow our own bamboo. It grows so quickly, it should easily be able to heat our home in the winter-time.
The advantages we can think of are:
- Takes up less space
- Continues to grow after cut down (renewable)
- Easier to handle (cutting & carrying)
- No splinters!
- A lot less weight!
So, within the next year or two after a little more research, we will decide what variety we’d like to get and start growing , cutting and putting it away to dry and then burn.
IF this works out, this would save us $150-200/cord of wood a year.
Plus, it will save some trees, which I am all for.
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