Plant identification: Kitchen garden

[Morakot]

I grow kale, coriander, and pumpkins in a small kitchen garden in the Bangkok area.

After trying to improve the soil by digging and breaking it up, two new plants took over some parts of the plot. One is about 30-40 cm tall with distinct upright stems (see the first three pictures), and the other are some kind of green leaves growing in a rhizome type of stems just above the surface (see pictures four).

Can someone identify these two plants?

[troysantos]

I don't see any pictures.

[Morakot]

I don't see any pictures.

Should be up now.

[Evilbaz]

The first one looks like man sam bulang - cassava which is processed into tapioca.

[Morakot]

The first one looks like man sam bulang - cassava which is processed into tapioca.

Cassava? Really?

[cooked]

Oh boy. Pappaya, somebody threw seeds out in your garden. You might want to keep one, they don't like being transplanted. Pappaya.

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[Morakot]

Oh boy. Pappaya, somebody threw seeds out in your garden. You might want to keep one, they don't like being transplanted. Pappaya.

Great! This actually makes sense. We have a worm bin and compost all kitchen waste, including pappayas parts. This is exactly the spot where I dug the compost under to improve the soil...

So how to look after these wee numbers, to harvest some pappayas?

[loong]

the other are some kind of green leaves growing in a rhizome type of stems just above the surface

I don't quite know what you mean by "rhizome type of stems just above the surface "

The leaves look similar to malabar nightshade/spinach. It is a vine that will sprawl across the surface if it has nothing to climb.

[cooked]

Oh boy. Pappaya, somebody threw seeds out in your garden. You might want to keep one, they don't like being transplanted. Pappaya.

Great! This actually makes sense. We have a worm bin and compost all kitchen waste, including pappayas parts. This is exactly the spot where I dug the compost under to improve the soil...

So how to look after these wee numbers, to harvest some pappayas?

Well you want to be sure that you want Pappaya to grow where they are now. Eventually nothing will grow underneath it, we chopped two down after 18 months of growth, as they become unstable and wanted to fall over. Try transplanting, if they die it doesn't matter , you have seen how easily they grow from seed. There are male and female trees, you probably don't need a male as there will be others around, but this means you should be planting two or three to be sure you aren't the proud owner of a male.

[Morakot]

the other are some kind of green leaves

The leaves look similar to malabar nightshade/spinach. It is a vine that will sprawl across the surface if it has nothing to climb.

Thanks! Yes, it sprawls across the surface. I am not sure if it would climb. It looks rather weak and the roots are very small; one can without any effort pull it out of the ground.

Here some more photos of one that I pulled out yesterday; it's slightly wilted. As you can see in some of the photos it has very small black seeds.

[cooked]

the other are some kind of green leaves

The leaves look similar to malabar nightshade/spinach. It is a vine that will sprawl across the surface if it has nothing to climb.

Thanks! Yes, it sprawls across the surface. I am not sure if it would climb. It looks rather weak and the roots are very small; one can without any effort pull it out of the ground.

Here some more photos of one that I pulled out yesterday; it's slightly wilted. As you can see in some of the photos it has very small black seeds.

Right! Doesn't look anything like the original foto.

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[loong]

I can't be 100% certain.

The malabar spinach that I have growing here produces very small berries that start off light coloured, turn red (will stain your clothes) and then black. These berries are on a stem similar to the seeds in your photo. Maybe yours have produced berries that have already dried?

There are quite a lot of varieties in the Basellaceae family, and I still think that yours is likely to be one of them.

[Morakot]

I can't be 100% certain.

The malabar spinach that I have growing here produces very small berries that start off light coloured, turn red (will stain your clothes) and then black. These berries are on a stem similar to the seeds in your photo. Maybe yours have produced berries that have already dried?

There are quite a lot of varieties in the Basellaceae family, and I still think that yours is likely to be one of them.

I just saw this now. Thanks for following up on this.

I think the main difference with malabar is the striking reddish/ purple colour of the ends where the berries grow. This specimen does not have have berries. It just has these tiny seeds; there is/ was no flesh around them.

[Morakot]

An update on these papaya plants.

They're now about 5 ft tall and just about to flower. Once I can see exactly which are the female ones, I'll remove the unwanted once.

Two pictures attached for an overview and general appropriation.

[rice555]

Hello All, 1st. thin out your papaya, too many! From the second pic of your OP, you should only

have 1 if you want to have good size fruit.

2nd. the other I get pak kasum my other 1/2, a healthy veg some people eat, my spelling may be

off a bit.

rice555