Bamboo is a renewable resource that can be used for many different purposes. As the world becomes more depleted of natural resources people will be forced by price and shortages to turn to alternatives to such materials as hardwood and such minerals as oil. Bamboo is one of these alternatives.

Bamboo can be used in plenty of ways in the garden. There are over 1,400 different species of bamboo and it is a plant that can bring a distinctive feature to a garden. It can also be planted to mark a border. Care, however, must be taken to limit the spread of bamboo as it can become invasive.

By planting bamboo next to a piece of land that is earmarked for growing food helps to improve the soil. It increases the water retention of the soil and adds nutrients to the soil.

In Japan green tea farmers use bamboo charcoal as a natural pesticide and fertilizer. Tests by Tokai University have shown that bamboo charcoal improves crop yields by 40% in volume.

Bamboo is strong and water resistant; it makes an ideal material to use for fencing in the garden that looks much more attractive than plastic fencing. It is also ideal to use as stakes for growing food.

In outdoor areas such as patios and verandas a great thing to use is outdoor bamboo blinds. They are inexpensive and make an outdoor area more inviting. Outdoor bamboo blinds also reduce UV rays from the sun and create privacy.

Bamboo also makes strong and enduring garden furniture. Benches and tables can be made from bamboo. Using a natural material for garden furniture often improves the aesthetics of a garden.

Finally, bamboo charcoal makes a great barbecue fuel. It is both smokeless and odorless and gets just as hot as regular charcoal. By using bamboo as a substitute for hardwood, pesticide, fertilizer and normal charcoal you are helping to conserve vital resources.