Is this a Brussels Sprout plant? [No! It's my Pet Weed!]

[TheWaterbug]

Hmm. What is this?


I thought it was a Brussels sprout plant, but it doesn't really look like what I see on the Internet, and my plant is now more than 4 feet tall, and most descriptions of Brussels sprouts have them growing up to ~3 feet.

This one isn't exactly a volunteer, but it's growing a few feet away from where I sowed Brussels seeds back in May. All my other seedling failed, probably because the slugs ate 'em, but this one popped up a few weeks later, and it's been growing strongly every since.

I just hope I haven't been tending some sort of giant weed all this time!

[Bobberman]

NO! They look just like broccoli leaves growing tall with small bumps under the bottom leaves! That looks like a weed to me! Brussel sprouts usually has only one main stem!

[TheWaterbug]

NO! They look just like broccoli leaves growing tall with small bumps under the bottom leaves! That looks like a weed to me!

Hmm. It's a very well-cared-for weed, then. I've been "weeding" around it and it's on a drip watering system.

It's very healthy

I wonder what it is? The main stem is well over an inch thick now.

[PunkRotten]

MIght be a tree. My neighbors have this weed plant that is like 10 feet tall.

[Bobberman]

My brother planted flowers and had about 6 of the same thing with the long leave. Je thought they were flowers and I told him it was a common weed. He grew them most of the summer and finally is daughter pulled them as weeds! Someone here will know what weed it is!

[TheWaterbug]

*sigh* The healthiest plant in my entire garden is a weed.

Here's more detail of my "pet weed's" basic stem structure:


and of the leaves:


Even if it's a true weed, I'm not sure I have the heart to pull it after tending it for this long!

Now you know why I could never raise rabbits or ducks for food!

[rainbowgardener]

*sigh* The healthiest plant in my entire garden is a weed.

That is usually true!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Now you know why I could never raise rabbits or ducks for food!

Hey, Did I just get flamed?
Funny you chose these as an example. There are probably more chicken and turkey eaten than rabbit and duck.

If one eats meat, one should know where and how it was raised.

Eric

[TheWaterbug]

Now you know why I could never raise rabbits or ducks for food!

Hey, Did I just get flamed?
Funny you chose these as an example. There are probably more chicken and turkey eaten than rabbit and duck.

If one eats meat, one should know where and how it was raised.

No offense intended! I just get too attached to things to do it myself. I can't even bring myself to kill this weed!

I could probably handle watching the slaughter of my food; I'm just not sure I could do if it I had fed it every day.

It's a criticism of myself, not of you (or any livestock owner, for that matter).

[TheWaterbug]

^^
Further to the above, I've (briefly) considered raising chickens for eggs, and I think I'd get too depressed when they eventually aged and died or had to be culled.

[garudamon11]

You could sell them when you think they have become aged

Btw you can use the edit button

[TheWaterbug]

Hmm. What is this?

My pet weed is now nearly 6' tall!

[PunkRotten]

Don't let it go to seed or you are gonna have these all over your yard.

[TheWaterbug]

Don't let it go to seed or you are gonna have these all over your yard.

Yeah, if/when it flowers I'll cut them off before they mature.

Of course I'm out of town all next week, so it'll probably hurry up and broadcast seeds while I'm gone.

[garden5]

If it makes you feel any better, I know of an old-timer who's been gardening a long time. He planted something (I think oregano) and he took such good care of that plant. We watered, it weeded around it, and fertilized it....only to realize that the whole time he was doing this, he was really tending a weed! On top of that, when he mowed around the garden...he was mowing down the oregano plant each time!

At least you didn't pull good plants to make way for your weed .