Unknown plant in my greenhouse

[Mikey]

I need a bit of assistance, I've planted what I thought was something useful in my greenhouse but for all I know it could be a weed.

When I started a number of seeds of a couple of months ago these sprung up in the pots. When small they looked like sage leaves, but now well see the pictures.

If you can identify these by the leaves I'd appreciate it, cos they have me beat!

See piccies attached.

[rustylady]

Links don't work Mikey.

[Mikey]

I'm struggling to reduce the image size, give me a minute

[Florence Fennel]

Can't see the pictures Mikey

[veggiechicken]

C'mon, I hate suspense

[Mikey]

Right I'll try again


Strange Plant

Hope this works as its pickling my brain on the home computer.

[veggiechicken]

Looks like Fat Hen
How's your hands?

[zazen999]

Fat Hen.

Did you buy Quinoa at all? Or Aztec Brocolli?

I was talking to someone the other day who said that research shows that every cubic inch of topsoil in the UK has on average 40 Fat Hen seeds in it.

It's edible; so I don't know why we don't let it grow and eat it.

[Mikey]

Fab, thanks VC.

Yes it is definitely fat hen as it looked exactly like the seedling images. I can now safely remove it from my greenhouse and replace it with the chillies that are in need of some earth.

[Mikey]

Its supposed to be a spinach alternative isn't it Zazen?

If so I have some ricotta cheese in the fridge that needs using up.

[out in the cold]

If it is Fat Hen (or Lambs Quarters) it is a good spinach substitute

[zazen999]

Its supposed to be a spinach alternative isn't it Zazen?

If so I have some ricotta cheese in the fridge that needs using up.

It an be anything you want it to be Mikey

Fat Hen is the first weed I get my students to identify; it makes for a good lesson about how it can throw out about 75,000 seeds from each plant and the kids like to make all sorts of Fat Hen impressions as they pick it out.

[veggiechicken]

Give it to your chooks - they'll thank you for it!
Chenopodium album Fat Hen PFAF Plant Database

[Mikey]

Well I think I got it from the chooks in the first place. Apparently Bird poop is very good at distributing the seeds.

[veggiechicken]

That's recycling for you!