Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Is this ready to harvest? Seems like its flowering? I purchased some baby variety so dont know if this should be eaten yet or not lol

Also does anyone know what this plant is?

Looks like a weed to me.

No idea about the first one.

My first thoughts too lol

The first one is a bok choy or pak choy, whatever, but its ready to flower and wont get any better to eat, usually more bitter. They seem to have a use by date and once thats up, they seed. I'd say it hasnt had enuf nutes to grow bigger....or sunlight.
The second one looks like a milk thistle to me, the seed blows in with the wind. Some ppl eat them.

The first one, is a dwarf variety so i might leave it to seed and see how that does.

So the second one is a weed?

+1 on seed saving.

It sure looks like a milk thistle, but let it go for a while, wont do any harm, and they grow fast so you will find out soon.

Hopefully its some weird ass seed i have chucked in (i have like 40-50 different plant seeds lol). Otherwise they will become worm food hehe.

A tip for collecting seed from ANY of the brassica plant family, dont leave the pods too long before picking.
As soon as the pods start to brown or dry a bit, cut the whole plant and hang upside down in warm area.
The little pods spring open and ping the seed for meters if not harvested

Its definitely a thistle, ask Bullwynkle as I think he lovingly transplanted one thinking it was a lettuce

......woops, forgot to say when collecting seed, place pods or whole plant in bag, then hang in warm place..........

I and others have dramas with Bok-choy and Pak-choy running to seed occasionally.

Some say if you plant seed by the moon cycles you'll have better success. I have experimented with that idea and it does appear to have some merit, but in saying that just about all the ones I plant during Winter and Summer (no matter the moon cycle) go to flower when still very small. I tend to get better results and far less going to flower during Spring and Autumn.

I also find that Bok-choy and Pak-choy seedlings that have been in the punnets too long (Bunnings pre-requisite) will almost always go to flower shortly after planting.

The other plant is definitely a milk thistle.

Cheers.

Thanks Mr Damage. With the plants going to flower can i break off the leaves (will they be bitter now?) and leave the flower so i can both eat them and get the seeds?

Also on another note how do you tell when they are ready?

During winter I plant lots more Bok-choy, closer together, and a new batch about every 7 days. They don't get as big and as dark green as the Spring/Autumn ones, and as soon as I see the flower spike starting to form in the centre of one, I harvest all of them from that batch... Thai green curry time! ... At this time of year I normally have to use 4-6 smaller plants in a Thai curry, whereas when they are growing well in spring I'll only use two larger plants. As suggested, once they start flowering they become bitter, so I would just leave the first one to flower in each batch, let him have all his leaves and go to flower/seed.

As far as telling when they're ready for harvest, I normally harvest good ones when they are about 25cm tall and have 7 or 8 good sized leaves on them, don't let them get too big. I let one go last spring and it got HUGE without going to flower, but it was fibrous and bitter.

Cheers.

Maybe its just this variety. This one is only maybe 10cm tall. I know i purchased some baby bok choy seeds.

Will leave it be till it flowers .

I think i need to be more organised. I should germinate the seeds outside of the GB then plant them in, that way i know what they are and roughly when to harvest.

Do you do this?

In the AP system I just broadcast the Bok-choy seeds and whatever comes up, comes up.

In my veg garden I grow them in old punnets or egg cartons first, then transplant them.