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A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.

Volunteers: Nature’s Helpers

This time of year, we have a lot of sprouts popping up in odd places. We didn’t plant them, they are “volunteers.” Volunteers are a godsend in filling in spaces around the yard with spring flowers, extra lettuces, and even the best tomatoes you’ll ever grow. We call them “Nature’s slap in the face” because they do better than most of the plants we’ve cultivated on purpose.

They don’t need much help from us, and so they tend to be stronger and more adapted to the place where they’re growing. Here’s what’s volunteering in our garden this season:

Borage sprouted a few feet away from the original planting
Borage sprouted a few feet away from the original planting

 

California poppies come up faithfully each year
California poppies come up faithfully each year

Many of these volunteers are helped along by us gardeners. In August/September, we can grab dry seed pods and scatter them in new spaces. We did that to help propagate volunteers in seasons to come.

Buckwheat drifted from a cover crop of past seasons.
Buckwheat drifted from a cover crop of past seasons.

 

Once planted and left to seed, arugula will come back year after year.
Once planted and left to seed, arugula will come back year after year.
Stachys, dill and calendula ended up here after piling up some biomass for shredding.
Stachys, dill and calendula ended up here after piling up some biomass for shredding.

Lambs ears and dill don’t need much help growing from seed. In fact, dill does best from seed rather than buying transplants at the nursery.

Mystery squash popped up in the corn bed. We think it's a pumpkin.
Mystery squash popped up in the corn bed. We think it’s a pumpkin.

Not that we were trying to do the three sisters garden, but this squash is going to be a living mulch for the corn as it grows.

A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.
A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.

We’ve had good luck with tomato volunteers in this location before. It’s in the shade of a giant Cecile Brunner rose, but it doesn’t seem to mind.

An old pot from a dead Mexican Bush Sage suddenly sprouts Orach Mountain Spinach. Not complaining, just baffled.
An old pot from a dead Mexican Bush Sage suddenly sprouts Orach Mountain Spinach. Not complaining, just baffled.
While tossing some celery that had gone to seed into the chicken coop, we must have dislodged some seeds here.
While tossing some celery that had gone to seed into the chicken coop, we must have dislodged some seeds here.

We’ll let this celery grow so the chickens will have something fresh to eat in the summer. They’d never turn down free food (neither would we).

Letting volunteers have their way in your garden makes for broader diversity and offers habitat for beneficial insects. Toss some seeds carelessly and see what happens.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Chelsea

    Volunteer plants truly are a blessing from God :). We’ve had a hard time with our tomato plants this year, but the other day I noticed we had some volunteers and they were doing awesome! I was worried we might not have many tomatoes this year, but it’s amazing how God always provides.

    I’d like to fill in some of the spots where our other tomatoes didn’t quite make it, but was wondering if it’s a good idea to transplant volunteer tomatoes to a different location. Thanks for your help!

    1. Christy

      HI Chelsea,

      Volunteer tomatoes generally transplant very well, if you catch them you enough. Bury them deep and move them in the afternoon, after the heat of the day is over. Water well with some kelp emulsion and they should do fine. Good luck!

      1. Christy

        I mean “if you catch them young enough”.

  2. jack sanders

    Your photo essay on volunteers most interesting. Over the years I have had many volunteer plants appear not knowing from whence they came. Some were useful, others not. Most of mine were not as useful as the ones that were shown on the blog. Also, enjoy blog very much.

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