we planted onions and garlic last fall, and it paid off with a huge basket of harvest. the garlic whistles we blended up with as many cleavers we could find to make a pesto dish. the pesto is a cheap and very tasty alternative to the more traditional pesto made with basil. cleavers* (Galium aparine) are also called goosegrass, and will stick all over you, you can use the leaves and stem in the pesto, the younger less woody ones are the best. it's a nutritious weed- containing calcium, silicon, and sodium. we don't really measure out pesto when we make it- just throw in the cleavers and garlic whistle with some olive oil. then toss it with warm pasta and tomatoes. nutritious and delicious.....yummmm. the potatoes and artichoke we planted in early spring. these potatoes are german butterballs and an early season variety. we also planted a late-season variety which should be ready in another month or two. we found the best way to plant the potatoes is to dig a trench about a foot deep, and place the potatoes about 6 inches apart. cover with dirt, and later, when the potato plants are the size of plant starts, with straw or leaves. leaves or straw can continue to be added on top of the plant as it grows. this allows the individual potatoes to be larger, and can also makes it easier to dig the potatoes up later.
*please note that if you are eating cleavers for the first time it's a good idea to start out with small amounts. large amounts ingested are said to be a diuretic and may cause other discomforts of the bowels sort.....we've never had any problems, but it's always better to err on the side of caution....
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