volunteer
A noun
Often used attributively: an unsown plant or crop of vegetables or grain that comes up from old seeds either late in the season, after harvest, or before planting in the spring hence adverb volunteer = spontaneously.
1915 Dingus Word-List VA 192 = a plant growing without being purposely sown: “The volunteer oats was good.” 1957 Broaddus Vocab Estill Co Ky 83 volunteer crop = plants that come up the following year from seed dropped, or plants left standing at harvest time; volunteer onion = onion that keeps coming up every year. 1957 Combs Lg Sthn High: Word List 107= a vegetable or plant that has come up in a garden or field without having been planted or sown; that is, from seed or root that has lain there from the previous season. 1963 Miller Pigeon’s Roost (July) 25) The writer has mole beans growing in the garden again this year. But I don’t have to plant them anymore. They just come up volunteer.
B verb of a crop: to grow spontaneously after the first crop has been harvested.
1915 Dingus Word-List VA 192 = to grow as a “volunteer”: “So much wheat volunteered that I let it stand.” 2012 Blind Pig (Jan 11) We’ve got things blooming that should have been killed by a cold snap and/or shouldn’t be up till late spring for heaven sakes, theres’ a second crop of lettuce volunteering in the garden.
—Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English
I love to have volunteers in our garden. They always seem to do better than the things we plant. We have several volunteers that come back year after year.
Ground cherries have spread throughout all our garden beds. I leave some here and there. Matt would pull them all up since he doesn’t care for them. They do get gangly and tall sometimes shading out other plants, but I love the fruit.
Our malabar spinach self-sows itself for for the next summer since it drops seeds prolifically. We’ve not had to plant it since the first year we grew it. Many flowers self-sow too.
Tomatoes will sometimes volunteer. Most of the time they are tommy-toes. Last year we had a yellow one come up below the blackberry bed. I was hoping it would come back this year and it did.
There’s a volunteer tommy-toe down near the long rows of green beans. It’s not doing that great since it’s mostly laying on the ground.
A tiny tommy-toe we have volunteering in several places is one we planted many years ago, Matt’s Cherry.
Here’s information from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange website about the tomatoes.
55 days. (Indeterminate) [From seed collected in the wild near Hidalgo in eastern Mexico.] Plants bear loads of intensely sweet, tart, and flavorful, ½ in. deep red cherry tomatoes. Plants are vigorous, disease-resistant, and sprawling. Self-sows readily. Always a favorite at our tomato tastings. Small Packet (0.08g)
They have a wonderful flavor but are about the size of a large blueberry.
This year when they started coming up in one of our raised beds I just let them grow. Before we knew it they were sprawling a good two feet outside the bed and with their vigorous grow they would probably reach the other side of the yard if we let them be.
Yesterday I harvested all the ripe tommy-toes so I could make some tomato juice. When it came to the volunteer Matt’s Cherry vines I cut them back as I picked them. Underneath all the wildness I found two cayenne pepper plants that I had been wondering about. They are alive and I’m sure they’re glad they can now breathe.
Even though I cut the plants back hard I’m hopeful the plants will bush back out. The plant is so prolific we typically have the tiny tomatoes growing right up to the first frost.
Last night’s video: Fresh Fried Trout, Mountain Beans, Hushpuppy Cornbread, Slaw, & Roasted Potatoes.
Tipper
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I have heard the term “volunteer” used for a child born out of wedlock. Tennessee is referred to as the “Volunteer State. Being raised so far south in Kentucky, I half feel Kentucky is a close first cousin to it.
You are being good stewards of your land and God keeps allowing the whole family to reap those rich benefits from that work!
That kind of looks like a good problem to have with all of those tomatoes. But I saw your garden tour video and understand completely why you want to clean them up and all especially if the weeds are prolific under them. I bet the tomato juice you make with those will be really good. When y’all took up that sunflower stalk to maybe toss down the bank for a bunch of sunflowers there next year, that is a great idea and I am amazed with what all you have had to grow from doing that. But at the same time I was trying to tell y’all to cut some of those flowers off and make a pretty arrangement with some of them, even if you just put them on your porch. I remember my mother talking about volunteer tomato plants but I never helped them with their small garden, I probably was not even interested. I realize now what I missed out on. We made raised beds last year and I planted some Matt’s Wild Cherry tomato seeds that did well last year. This year we have four volunteer plants that are trying to produce and I ended up pulling at least three or four little ones out because they were going to be too shaded underneath the others. And they certainly have looked much healthier than the other plants that I bought and planted.
I CAN REMEMBER MY GRANDAD IN SAMSON , ALABAMA BEING EXCITED ABOUT VOLUNTEER CORN AND PEANUTS FROM YEARS PAST , THAT THE LOCAL FARMERS ALWAYS LET HIM HAVE!
I have two volunteer turnips that came up from the seed of those I left to overwinter last fall. I don’t think they are going to make anything. I also have two tomatoes that came up over next to the fence. I’ve been interlacing it up the fence as it grows. It has fruit on it that are bigger than what I call a tommytoe but nothing near the size of a slicing tomato. The other tomato came up in pure red clay dirt and is barely hanging on. I thought about moving it but it’s a little late in the season for that wouldn’t you think?
Ed, I’d try it 🙂
You talked me in to it!
I watched the video of your fish for supper. I laughed when you forgot to put the egg in the hush puppy recipe. I have been known to do that. A few days ago I went to make a zucchini quiche. Don’t know what I was paying attention to but I merrily grated a cucumber and used that. How did that happen? Any way, it was good.
We have volunteers at several places in our garden. We are farther north from you and our garden went in late so our tomatoes are just coming in. We have a huge pat a pan squash plant growing out of our compost bin. This is the first year we planted the cherokee purple tomatoes. Haven’t had one yet but my husband refers to them as Matt’s tomatoes,
Sounds like you’re having a bountiful harvest this year.
Volunteers are “good finds”. I have very few of garden plants but LOTS from things the wind, the birds or just simply falling on the ground bring me; morning glory, dog fennel, zinnias and privet are some of them. I’m like you. I think somehow volunteers tend to do better than planted on purpose. I theorize it is partly because their “clocks” are set for just their own conditions and are free to germinate, wait, grow at their own pace or whatever. In short, they are ‘at home’. I plant only a few of most everything so I buy plants to set out. But those plants live a hard life; babied in a greenhouse, stuck in a truck, hauled around, set out in hot sun, not watered well etc. I always think they need a week or so to ‘decide’ whether to grow or give up. You all are right to start your own seed and control all that.
Enjoy your posts! Not from Appalacia but have a great admiration of the people there and a curiosity. Thanks for posting.
I have had tommy toe tomatoes come up for two or three years and disappear. But I do have Dahlias still coming up from when I planted the seeds in 2016. They are various colors of pink, pink and white, red, and yellow. They have gotten better and better. This year they have grown to a height of about three- and one-half feet. I think all the rain we have had helped increase their growth. I have about twenty plants growing in a small area in front of the porch. They are gorgeous.
Good morning!
One of the entries in the dictionary reference caught my eye. The 1957 Broaddus entry from Estill County, KY. That’s where I was born and raised and still live. My upbringing was not much different than yours. All taking place the same time. I found your YouTube channel last fall and ever since my husband and I have been watching and keeping up with your family. You all have inspired us to give gardening another try. We have enjoyed it even though we had some things to fizzle and not produce. There have been some successes and we’re happy with those. I enjoy your videos and your blog posts. May the Lord continue to bless you and Matt with health so you can continue to bless us with your content.
Eppie, love your connection to the entry! I’m so glad you enjoy what we do. Thank you!
Loved your garden tour. I am sure it is a pleasant thing to see these volunteers come up every year.
Good morning!!!
So glad you didn’t have a backset and are out and about in the garden.
Heard a saying yesterday that I’ve never heard before – “__________ has more wrinkles than the preacher’s Bible.” Are you familiar with that saying?
Keep feeling better.
Lenora, I have never heard that saying but I like it 🙂
Volunteer-the word brings several meanings to mind. I volunteered for the USARMY at 17 and daddy had to sign for me to join. Then there are volunteer plants you speak of. I’ve found several tomatoes, morning glories, and even pumpkin-acorn squash at my neighbors that somehow made it from here to her place. I guess Helene must’ve blown stuff from here to Shinola! To me volunteering has lost its pizzazz so I doubt I will do it much anymore. I read yesterday Generation Z sleeps 100 days a year and stays on the cell phone doing God knows what about 109 days a year. They are NOT interested in homes because that takes a minimum of 20 hours a week to take care of. What time for work or families do they have left? Anyway, my oh my. I should have dandy tomatoes here quite soon and yall know it-Cherokee Purple all the way! I plant about 3 or 4 together as I do peppers etc and you talk about a real humdinger! That all are huge and I’ve had banana peppers by the quarts! I even stuck sunflower seeds in some plants and mixed things together and the plants seem to love it! Oh the wind has started here in WIND TUNNEL WV and I awoke to my huge pots with huge sunflowers toppled over and sage toppled too so I picked em up and made the best of it. I took up my squash and cucumbers yesterday cause they’re about done with. Fall is in this air y’all and the wooly worm is SOLID BLACK predicting a rough rough winter….
When I grew my plants in the ground I had volunteer plants too. Since I’ve converted to raised beds I haven’t had any, but then I cleaned out the beds completely of any plants last year. I’m sure that’s why, plus I turn the dirt over the best I can then add new dirt when it’s time to plant again. I’m glad y’all have lots of volunteers. I have to say I miss having them and yes they do produce better than the ones that are planted.
Beautiful picture of Granny. ❤️
Those volunteers always do better than the planted ones. They’re strong or they wouldn’t come back.