Email to seed vendor:
Hi,
I bought your suburban garden seed pack and something is flourishing in my back garden. Unfortunately, I lost the packet and I have no idea what it is. Do I dig up the root and boil it or put vinaigrette on the leaves, or is it some kind of cabbage? I attach some photos and would really appreciate your advice.
Thanks very much.
Picture accompanying image:
Google image search unhelpfully offered this.
In fairness to the seed people, they got back to me:
Sorry to have taken awhile getting back to you, I have showed your photos to a few of the guys here, and we are all under the impression that it may be a cauliflower or cabbage, but whatever it is you should thin it out and leave to it grow a bit longer. I’m sure you can eat the leaves lightly steamed would be good, if there looks to be a good root growing it may be a swede or turnip. Sorry I can’t be of more help and we don’t have any set of seed we give out in those starter packs just easy to grow varieties.
good eating
All the best
But I don’t think it looks like any cauliflower or cabbage I have ever seen, although I take the point about thinning. Any ideas? I’m looking at you townmouse.
Radishes? Very big leafed radishes?
An examination of the roots would suggest not. In fact, clue, the roots are thin feeble looking yokes, so I assume we can rule out root vegetables in general from our enquiries.
It does look like some kind of a brassica (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli or similar). If you thin it out and let it grow it will either heart up if it’s a cabbage, or form a sprout if it’s a cauli or broccoli. Could you have been planting mustard & cress? The ‘cress’ in that is also a brassica, I think oilseed rape, in which case you probably won’t get much of a crop.
TM, since you wrote it is looking distinctly more cabbagey. Who would have thought?