# What crops volunteered themselves in your garden this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857 "2012-06-21T16:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/1 "2012-06-21T16:46:19Z")
I have some volunteer tomato plants growing in awkward spots in my garden. I don’t have the heart to yank them out, even though one of them is probably the offspring of a hybird variety, and thus won’t produce good fruit (I assume). I had a carrot sprout up very early in the spring; evidently one of my carrots last year went to seed. I probably harvested the earliest carrot in all of the Shenandoah Valley. Some sunflowers volunteered themselves as well–apparently the birds missed a few seeds last year. Meanwhile, my compost heap has donated several cucumber plants to the cause… How about you? What plants have volunteered in your garden? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/2 "2012-06-21T16:54:28Z")
Just potatoes and probably chard. Quite glad about the potatoes, I think they’re a heritage variety that I really wanted to keep, and all mine in storage had gone funny when the cupboard got damp. They’re pink all the way through. If they’re not that variety, I’m going to be really cheesed off though, they’re in an awful spot, as I’d redone the beds… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/3 "2012-06-21T17:17:21Z")
Some of last year’s lettuce apparently bolted and seeded before I removed it. I got quite a few nice heads of mixed greens when I finally harvested them last week before turning over the plot. (Yes, I was shamefully late getting the seeds in this year.) I also dug up some volunteer potatoes, which were mostly ittybitty fetal new potatoes (as in, the size of marbles). Discovery: fetal potatoes don’t really taste very potato-y, or very good, for that matter; they’re rather bitter. One valiant nasturtium also popped up and was doing so well that I transplanted it to the herb garden, whereupon all its leaves promptly withered away. I thought it was a goner but this morning I noticed that it’s put out some small new leaves, so maybe it will make it. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/4 "2012-06-21T17:22:34Z")
Lettuce, swiss chard, tomatoes, and tomatillos. Also it was such a mild winter that last year’s snapdragons survived, hooray! ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/5 "2012-06-21T17:35:13Z")
We have this rhubarb-like weed that keeps popping up all around. Last year we had several HUGE sunflowers spring up in our garden. The gold finches loved those seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/6 "2012-06-21T17:43:10Z")
Strawberries–tiny strawberries. I don’t know if they’re naturally wild, or the result of squirrels and birds picking discarded strawberry tops out of the garbage can. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/7 "2012-06-21T17:50:21Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > Strawberries–tiny strawberries. I don’t know if they’re naturally wild, or the result of squirrels and birds picking discarded strawberry tops out of the garbage can. Sounds likely to be [mock strawberry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry), a widespread ornamental/weed. If they’re real strawberries, don’t forget to get the mended strawberry net back from Coplen’s wife! Ah-ha-ha-hah. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/8 "2012-06-21T18:27:46Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > We have this rhubarb-like weed that keeps popping up all around. It could be [Burdock](http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/arfmi.htm). If it is, I have that too. It sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/9 "2012-06-21T18:29:03Z")
I have one volunteer onion coming up. I’m going to let it go and see how big it gets. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/10 "2012-06-21T18:31:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Sounds likely to be [mock strawberry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry), a widespread ornamental/weed. Yeah, that’s what they look like. I won’t try to harvest them for tea then. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/11 "2012-06-21T18:47:23Z")
Lots of volunteer garlic, strawberries and mint. And of course the @#$%& morning glory vines that are choking the hell out of half the yard. Years ago, the kid behind us thought it’d be nice to have morning glories on the fence between our yards. Now, in addition to taking over half the neighborhood, they’re climbing up the telephone poles and along the wires. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/12 "2012-06-21T18:57:51Z")
I too have morning glories growing where I planted them last year (good) and waaaaay on the other side of the house (how did they get there? – bad!). This year there are no volunteer tomatoes because I covered the bed with landscape cloth before planting this spring. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/13 "2012-06-21T19:00:53Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I have one volunteer onion coming up. I’m going to let it go and see how big it gets. You’ll probably get a big, purple, flower! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/14 "2012-06-21T19:01:27Z")
Just tomatoes, I think they are the only ones strong enough to get up through the dense layer of weeds. \ Hopefully I will get some work done out there this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/15 "2012-06-22T01:38:58Z")
Pumpkin. I recently bought the house and the previous homeowner, who had lost the place to foreclosure, actually took a couple of small trees when he left, leaving shallow holes. I tossed a decaying pumpkin into one and now have a small pumpkin patch. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/16 "2012-06-22T14:27:25Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I have one volunteer onion coming up. I’m going to let it go and see how big it gets. > [@August\_West](#): > > You’ll probably get a big, purple, flower! Maybe it’ll get big enough to wear on my belt!! ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/17 "2012-06-22T14:36:31Z")
Some hardy garlics apparently overwintered here last year. And I got three volunteer potatoes of three different varieties. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/18 "2012-06-22T23:06:59Z")
Volunteer tomatoes from the cherry tomato windfall from last year. Tons of them. Do they actually bear fruit, or should we yank them out? ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/19 "2012-06-23T00:29:34Z")
celery, carrots, lettuce, leeks, parsley garlic chives, garlic and tomatoes - still (winter here) ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857/20 "2012-06-23T00:34:52Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Volunteer tomatoes from the cherry tomato windfall from last year. Tons of them. Do they actually bear fruit, or should we yank them out? I would thin them out, but I had a patch of cherry tomatoes that I didn’t replant for several years. Had great little cherry tomatoes on them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crops-volunteered-themselves-in-your-garden-this-year/625857.md?page=2)