Do dead bamboo limbs run the risk of seeding a garden bed?

Question

I have these three bags, along with two more waiting for curbside pickup of yard waste to start back up. I am also about to dig a garden bed for a bunch of pepper plants. Although I don't anticipate that the varieties will bear too many rodent pests, I would like to have it be raised by about a foot or two to make it easier on the eyes and to maintain.

I was wondering if the bamboo stocks would make a suitable fill material. They are just cut down stalks from a rampant overgrowth in a corner of my yard, no pesticides or herbicides or anything on them. However, I don't want them to take root and start sprouting up halfway through the growing season. I also don't want them to compress too much, or decay too rapidly.

My hypothetical plan would be to build a frame, carve out the inset for it, lay out the bamboo as a base, then cover with leaf mulch, and a compost/manure/top soil mix. I intend to wholly smother the bamboo beneath a good amount of topical materials.

• Is there a real risk to using these stalks as fill for a raised garden bed?
• If it did sprout, would it cause any more work than regular weeding?
• Are there any good ways to divert those risks? (Perhaps a good shake of lime or something to that effect?)

Answer 1

I had a fence around my garden last year made entirely of fresh cut bamboo stalk. It was cut from the root so it won't do anything. It is dead. Bamboo is super useful in the garden and also a beautiful additive. You can even make tomato stakes out of them! I highly recommend using them.