New Bamboo

   Marilyn Richardson, a friend from the bee store, dropped off a little present on Tuesday.  It was a start of black bamboo.  I planted it later that evening in the future duck pen annex.  I kept some geese in this area for about a month and they completely removed any vestige of grass or weeds in that brief time.  After my experience with the golden groove bamboo I am not so paranoid that I have to have the barrier in place immediately upon planting the bamboo.  This start consisted of just the rhizomes and roots with no active culm so it is stealth bamboo at this point.  There are several other kinds of bamboo I would like to grow.  I'm mainly interested in varieties that are both edible and provide building materials.  I spoke with several people at the American Bamboo Society booth while at the Seattle Flower and Garden Show this year.  One told me that the main edible bamboo variety will grow well in Western Washington.  I'd also like to have either Henon or Rubro Marginata, both of which produce edible shoots and grow fairly large.  I probably won't add any more bamboo until we move to larger acreage as I'm not sure where I would put it. 

    My little water garden is doing well.  I had divided the water lily when I put it out after it spent the winter in a bucket in the garage. The main plant has already produced two flowers and the two divisions are growing nicely, producing ever larger leaves. The irises have bloomed and need to be moved to a larger pot. The miniature cattails are also growing nicely. I was considering getting some water hyacinth like I had last year, but the water lilies have filled the space.

    I still don't have half of the vegetable garden planted, but what is planted is growing nicely.  I'm expecting a bumper crop of cabbages and potatoes.  The black currants are ready to harvest and the red currants soon will be ready.  I usually just run the currants through the steamer juicer and can the juice for later use.  We're  enjoying the fresh strawberries every day.

     I'm still working on expanding the goat pasture.  The goats have eaten their way through the tangle of blackberries to our property line.  Now, I just need to drive about ten more fence posts and I'll be ready to hang the new fencing.  The goats should completely destroy the remaining blackberries in their expanded enclosure before the end of the summer. At least that is the plan.