Last Saturday night, I went on a Mission.
This mission involved me dragging the boys and their father out, in the dark, to the place behind our local shopping centre where some gardening genius decided to plant non clumping bamboo.
The stuff is everywhere.
Up the hill, down the hill, and marching into people's backyards. If it could grow in the tarmac it lines, well it would be there too.
And we pinched some. Now for those of you who are shaking your heads at me right now, we only pinched the bamboo that was lying about on the ground.
We would have cut it down fresh, but we learnt within about 10 seconds of trying that fresh bamboo is really hard to cut.
After we had gathered to my little heart's content, we realised that it was not going to fit into the car. Not a chance.
But I am nothing if not extremely determined in the face of adversity, and so under each arm went the bamboo, and off I set, dragging the whole lot home.
It made so much noise.
I am so glad we went there in the dark.
And this is what I did with the bamboo.
I made some wonky teepees.
And I am so proud of myself.The intention of my wonky teepees is to give my lovely spaghetti squash plants a nice frame to climb. I have not grown or eaten spaghetti squash before, so treating them this kindly is a bit of a gamble, but even if it's not a great crop it will at least look a bit spectacular climbing up our fabulous teepees.
I am so feeling like a master builder right now.
I am so feeling like a master builder right now.
18 comments:
When you move down here you are going to fit in so well..scrounging AND building! All my garden stakes, bamboo, some bits of dowel, curtain rods etc. are all stuck in the back fence to keep the goats in (or out, depending how I feel). I don't know what I am going to grow my veggies up! So, when you come, can you please bring me some bamboo. Do you think they will let you drag it on as hand luggage.
Hazel, the whole time I was thinking, "Hazel would be so proud of me, Hazel would love this"! I love a good scrounge. And just wait - next week is hard rubbish!!
And yes. After dragging the stuff through the streets of my suburb, and across a main road, getting it to fit into that little hand luggage size tester thingy will be a cinch.
Good for you, your tee pees look great....and the fact that you dragged them through the streets at night makes them even more cool....
hehe I made my very own bamboo teepee last week, supposed to be for my climbing beans that I have still yet to plant, oops!
Just today I planted some spaghetti squash seeds, hopefully it's not too late to plant them.
snap! :)
Suzanne, they were certainly hard won garden stakes...
Anonymous have you had the spaghetti squash before?
Sounds like sensible use of a sustainable resource to me. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.
I use bamboo stakes for lots of things, but I usually feel a twinge of guilt because I know it has probably travelled half way round the world before I get to use it.
Oh yes - and the bamboo has further appeal for me: is is straight, which appeals to my "regular" nature. :)
Atta girl, Ali ... the mistress of the scrounge ;-) During WW2 soldiers stealing stuff called it 'liberating'.
Cool teepees ... now Spaghetti Squash: it's a beaut fruit. Heavy though so you'll need to support it up that teepee. Old stockings or old cloth are good materials to use, make sure the sling is tied on good and proper coz it'll be there for some months during our worst weather.
Great fruit though. To get the Spaghetti-effect, you need to cook the fruit. Usually it is boiled or steamed but *whole*. Open it up after cooking, cut lengthways and scoop out the flesh with a fork, teasing the strands as you go. The seeds will be dead though and if you want to keep seeds, choose one and remove the seeds first and perhaps try cooking it cut, maybe try the microwave coz if you do it by steaming it will be too mushy. Use it as you would Spaghetti with either a meatless or with-meat sauce: Tomato, Capsicum, Onion, Garlic and finish with Parmesan cheese.
And have one for me ;-) no room this year to grow them although I have the seeds waiting.
Nice reappropriation! I think you're very civic minded cleaning up the local area like that. It seems only right that you benefit with fabulous squash!
They are brilliant! Love a good teepee :)
Oh yeah I have wonky bamboo teepees too. non clumping bamboo is a terrible thing to be rid of. We had it growing down a back corner and it took a lot of effort to be rid of it. Had to dig out the roots. And it still keeps coming back. But I do have an excellent supply of bamboo stakes. I'll be interested to hear about your spaghetti squash, I've never tried it.
Great job with the bamboo. I enjoy making tri-pods etc. Funny how they wouldn't fit in the car!
Bamboo makes the best garden stakes. It doesn't rot like wood. We grow our own (the clumping variety) and it has to be thinned out occasionally, so it gets used for stakes and trellisses...and yes you need a really sharp saw.
Ha ha, I can see it now...
So did the others go home in the car and leave you to it?!
SNEAKY but resourceful! He He.. Great Idea, You can pay a fortune for bamboo sticks from the nursery! I love the teepee, such a simple design. :)
the teepees look cool
Good for you Ali - oh that bamboo - unbelievable that people actually plant the non-clumping stuff in the 'burbs?!
Love the tee pees and the story behind them Ali. The spaghetti squash is an interesting vegetable - I'm not sure I'm quite sold on it personally. I think it would be great in pasta style meals if you were gluten intolerant, but didn't hit the carb button like pasta does for me. Have I mentioned I'm a carboholic?
Thats what I am doing tomorrow if it does not rain and if it does less people out and about.
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