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ufseeds_gw

Suppose to be spinach?

ufseeds
10 years ago

Hello,

I have a plant that I can not figure out. This is suppose to be bloomsdale spinach. Obiviously not! I think it may be a spinach, possibly New Zealand or Noble Giant but not sure if it would grow like this. It has purplish color when the stems connect to the body of the plant. Please let me know any opinions on what it may be. Thank you.

Comments (5)

  • saltcedar
    10 years ago

    Chenopoium sp. possibly C.album.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    i think salty is on to it... especially in regard to alba ...

    but its other name in my garden is : WEED ...

    if you want to avoid such.. in the future.. sterilize your seedling media ... prior to planting valuable seed in such ... see link ... even throwing the bag of media on a black top in august can work ..

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • weedlady
    10 years ago

    I concur--it is a very happy and healthy-looking C. album, possibly my favorite wild food plant. Lamb's-quarters (it's commonest common name) is a very close relative of garden spinach & the cooking technique & flavor almost identical, but has WAY more vitamins & minerals, so do not despair! Harvest & eat it! The younger leaves may be pinched out & eaten raw in a salad, and the older leaves used as a potherb.
    Don't over-indulge, though, as it (as many wild foods) can be a bit more laxative than domesticated greens due to the greater nutritional content.

    And most importantly, from now on start your seeds in a sterile soilless mix, NOT garden soil! ;-)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    regardless of what she said ... and i am impressed with her knowledge.. dont get me wrong ...

    DO NOT LET IT GO TO SEED....

    or you will have more than you can ever eat ... its a weed ... edible or not ...

    i kill them by the millions on my acreage ... its not hard to know where i messed deadheading one.. as the next spring.. there is a 3 foot circle of a couple thousand seedlings ....

    ken

    ps: soil is mother earth.. pots hold potting media.. or medium ... and i never trust what is printed on the bag as to whether it is.. or was..sterilized ... live and learn ... hence my link way above ...

  • weedlady
    10 years ago

    I never said to allow it to go to seed. If a gardener is so careless of his or her garden to allow an unwanted plant to bloom you may as well accept that it has spread unwanted seed. There are so many easy ways to deal with weeds in a garden that with only a modicum of diligence they rarely, if ever, should become a problem.

    Many decades ago as a new gardener I attempted to sterilize garden soil in my oven. The stench was profound. Garden soil is a living thing composed of many microorganisms that belong there and as such is best left outdoors.

    Pest organisms and fungal spores that may be problematic in addition to weed seeds are in garden soil, and using it to start seeds in pots invites fungus gnats, damping off, and other problems one need not have to put up with.

    Peat or coir, vermiculite, and perlite are sterile and the proper ratio of each make a perfect light, well-draining, seed-starting medium. I mix my own, but there are perfectly good commercial blends of the same. I add castings from my worm bins to my mixes. Properly made home-made compost or the leaf compost I purchase from my local composting facility is weed-free and I add some of that to my larger container plants. I also have used it in my raised beds for the last 6 years. Only the occasional weed seed that has blown in or been bird-deposited germinates and these are a cinch to remove when a seedling first appears.