Plant No-Pamper Perennial Produce

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About 70 species of cane can be raised on this continent and almost any issue of any gardening magazine contains ads run by growers who have the plants for sale. Bamboo is best propagated in the spring by dividing starts from its thick, tangled network of roots. Shoots are also "layered" from the stems. Either method of propagation is better than attempting to start cane from seeds.

When allowed to grow to heights of 25 feet or more, the stalks of the bamboo plant have myriad uses: fishing poles, rafts, furniture, pole vaulting poles, rug rollers, etc. When picked while still young and tender in the spring and summer, however, the shoots of the plant are delicious sauteed in butter, added to salads, and prepared in many other ways. See any good Chinese cookbook for more serving suggestions than you'll be able to try in a year.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

Despite their misleading name, Jerusalem artichokes are really a member of the sunflower family and are native to North America. They seem to do best across the middle and northern states of the U.S., but their range extends far up Into Canada and south to all but the driest and most southernly states.

Sunchokes (as they're sometimes called) will grow in almost any kind of soil (it's easier to dig their tubers, though, from looser and sandier earth) and, once established, must be harvested regularly to keep them from getting out of hand.

Most of the larger nurseries sell the planes tubers and you should order the smooth white "French" strain, instead of the smaller, red native variety. And don't go overboard! You'll probably get all the start you need by putting only three or four of the spuds into the ground. Plant them three to four feet apart and four to six inches deep in a sunny, well-watered spot any time between mid-October and mid-December.

Jerusalem artichokes are harvested by digging their tubers up after the first frost. Additional spuds may then be dug right on through the winter and well into early spring. Dig 'em as you need 'em, because they store better in the ground than in the root cellar. And don't worry about harvesting a lot of the tubers. You only have to overlook and leave a few in the ground to ensure an even bigger crop the following year.

Jerusalem artichokes contain no starch (which makes them a prescribed food for diabetics) but are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Enjoy 'em pickled, oven-fried, boiled and mashed, in soups and stews, even cooked and crushed and added to cakes and breads. One way or another, this shmoo-like plant seems to have only one mission in life: to feed you for ever and ever once you place a few of its tubers in the ground.

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