Natural Home Products

Though generally known for its ornamental qualities, bamboo is becoming an excellent low impact farming opportunity.  Popular in East and South East Asia, Bamboo is a versatile grass with species that can survive in diverse climates from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. Some species of bamboo can be used like wood, but have the advantage of growing 50 times faster than most trees.  Unlike hard and softwood trees, bamboo can grow very quickly and can be harvested in only a few years.  Depending on local soil and climate conditions, bamboo will commonly grow 3 to 6 inches per day, with some species growing up to 3 or 4 feet per day in preferable climates. These species can range from small one inch diameter poles up to larger 12 inch diameter bamboo that will grow 80 to 100 feet tall in 3 to 4 years.

Treated, bamboo is a very hard wood that is both lightweight and very durable.  These qualities make bamboo an excellent construction material with a variety of applications such as fences, bridges, and furniture.  Harvesting bamboo for wood requires care to select mature stems that are several years old.  First-year bamboo stems, although fully sized, are not fully developed and are not as strong as more mature stems.  This hard wood alternative is becoming increasingly popular in homes as bamboo flooring, providing a viable alternative to hard wood flooring.

Bamboo fibre has been used for centuries to make paper and more recently to make a host of yarn and fabric products.   Bamboo fabric is soft and somewhat silky and has claims of natural antibacterial properties.  The many uses of bamboo fibre are showing up in bamboo clothing, bamboo bed sheets, and bamboo towels.  As the many uses of bamboo continue to increase, so too will the popularity of bamboo as an excellent low impact farming opportunity.