Unexpected volunteers

[journey11]

Got most of my weeding caught up in the garden tonight (flowerbed another matter). As I was working, I mindlessly pulled up several sweet potato volunteers before I realized what they were. I must have missed a few when I dug them last fall. I would never have believed that the tubers could make it through winter in the ground. I thought that they would have frozen to mush in the ground.

I was also surprised to find volunteer okra out there too. I plant okra nearly every year and I've never had it come up on its own before. Okra has been sometimes tricky for me to get good germination. I will gladly take the headstart!

 

[Carol Dee]

Fun discoveries! Hope they continue to grow and produce.

 

[thistlebloom]

I was planting potatoes a few weeks back and ran into a couple of Magic Molly tubers that must have been missed last year. I thought the same thing you did Journey, how in the world did they make it through winter in the ground?
I went ahead and planted them, the more MM the merrier as far as I'm concerned!

 

[seedcorn]

Magic Molly?

Okra volunteers are usually quicker than planted seed for me. Why? No idea.

 

[thistlebloom]

Magic molly is a deep purple spud. The color is consistent throughout. When freshly dug they have a silky deep purple sheen. Not too pretty to eat however.
oh, and it's an excellent keeper too, which probably helped somewhat with making it through winter without rotting in the ground.

 

[journey11]

I wonder if the okra benefited from the freeze/thaw cycles of winter. Every year I try presoaking them and plant two or three in each spot, but the germination was never great. I may deliberately wintersow them next year right where I want them.

 

[valley ranch]

Wintersow them next year----------That sounds like a great idea.


Magic Molly~that sounds interesting.

Richard

 

[Nyboy]

I love volunteers I don't dead head flowers, so the birds have something to eat. Black eye Suzanne pop up all over because of this. If they are somewhere I don't want I just move them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes I rely on Black-eyed Susans self-seeding. If I have to I'll move some to where I want them, but there are so many of them I mostly mow or pull them when they are not where I want them. If I am not careful BES can become a weed around here. They are beautiful in the summer too. Mine are just starting to bloom.

Zinnias and marigolds do a lot of self-seeding too but not as much as the BES. I still plant zinnia and marigold seeds.

 

[curly_kate]

Every year, I have pepper volunteers that come up, which blows my mind given how cold it's been here the past few winters. And it's never anything like beans or peas or more hardy things that come up on their own. So strange!