Is this lambs quarters?

This plant volunteered to grow alongside my raised bed of lettuce and cooking greens. I was wondering if its lamb's quarters, its now over 4 feet tall....

Yes and if you let it seed you will have thousands more. I have thousands more this year and it is a blessing. Clover dried up and Lambsquarters became a free cover crop . Have had multiple chop and drops and it keeps coming back. Makes a good pot of greens too.

Nice Lambsquarters you have there!!! Big leaves. Bon a petit!

wayne stephen wrote:Yes and if you let it seed you will have thousands more. I have thousands more this year and it is a blessing. Clover dried up and Lambsquarters became a free cover crop . Have had multiple chop and drops and it keeps coming back. Makes a good pot of greens too.

Wayne: did you spread the seed immediately or did you dry it and spread it the following spring? I'm trying to do the same at the moment...it hasn't gone to seed just yet.
W

Actually , I noticed a few plants last fall. That is it. This year they are everywhere. 1/3 of my garden is covered - every inch.

eat 'em young and short.

only let the ones that taste great go to seed (look at the color strips on the big stalks.)

chop and drop, leave the roots in the ground.

mine are about 12" tall at maturity and seeding.....

wayne stephen wrote:Actually , I noticed a few plants last fall. That is it. This year they are everywhere. 1/3 of my garden is covered - every inch.

In a year or two they'll probably be gone unless the ground is disturbed again.

The seed is edible too, remember - it's such a close relative of quinoa that the plants will interbreed. Only the young leaves are really suitable for eating, unfortunately. It's great for opening up compacted soil, though. And browsers won't touch the stuff!

We eat lambs quarters all summer, our favorite and most reliable cooked green. I pick just the growing tips and the plants get pretty bushy. eventually I will let one go to seed...then when ripe shake it over the beds where I want it next year. Ive noticed here it has some early leaf miner damage but if I keep pinching out those growing tips eventualy there is no more bug damage.
I did not know the term chop and drop until recntly but I dont think we could do that to this plant unless I grew alot more.