Also, don't pay attention to the red stalks of swiss chard laying nearby.

Hmmmm.... Doesn't look like any veggie I've grown. Where did you get it and didn't it have a tag? (Those tags do come in handy.) How about some more hints? Are the leaves fuzzy, leathery, soft or hard? Do they have any smell when pinched?

Looks like a sunflower plant to me.

I suppose to could be sunflower, but I don't recall planting sunflower this year. It's growing something in the center there so I guess we will see. I will try to post another picture as it gets bigger.

I did plant Milkweed, but I don't think milkweed I've seen looks like this. I also planted various types of pepper seeds, but this does not look like a pepper plant. It didn't come with a tag, since I planted from seed. This is what happens when you don't stick a label where you plant.

I really have no idea what it could be. More suggestions please.

It does look like a sunflower, but too many leaves all seeming to circle the stalk. Can you post a pic from the side, showing how it grows upright? And, btw, if you had a sunflower last year, you probably have them this year. They self-seed prolifically.

Volunteer plants from bird droppings is also a possibility. Let us know when the center bud exposes itself, that'll tell the story.

"Volunteer plants from bird droppings is also a possibility."

That rang a bell; a little bird left me a datura a couple of years ago and that's what it looks like to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:411219}}

Neat! Time will tell, especially if you post a pic of a flower from it. It's really fun to see. I was thinking sunflower or datura too (or maybe Tithonia, the "Mexican sunflower"). Keep the pics coming and I'm sure we'll get a positive ID on it. These plant mysteries are always so fun! Happy gardening and thanks for posting this!