Hooray for Volunteers!

A few months ago, when we were starting the chicken project, we began by potting up all of our daylilies that were in the back yard, so we could keep them safe during construction.  During that process we came across dozens of tiny tomato plants all mixed in with the daylilies.  I confess. I know how those got there.  Our kitties' daddy/granddaddy/uncle/brother was in our yard a lot, and I admit, I chucked not a few yucky tomatoes from the garden in his general direction on several dozen occasions.  The result of my pitching practice was little tiny baby tomatoes.  That was the first of the volunteer garden army that began to spout up this season.

Next to arrive was what we thought were just weeds growing out of our compost bin.  Due to the proximity of now-deceased ficus trees and our general neglect of proper composting behaviors, the compost bin had gotten full of tree roots and had stopped being 'hot' enough to kill seeds.  I realized one day that those weren't weeds.  They were potatoes.   And nestled down in the potatoes were very pretty little Scarlet Pentas that had been pulled up to make room for something else. 

Around the same time, we noticed that our tatsoi had gone to seed in the hydroponic garden, and some seeds had fallen next to the water tank.  A brand new baby tatsoi plant is now happily growing there in the ground, without any assistance from us or the water system.  We haven't had much rain except for this past weekend, but it seems to be doing fine.  I'm leaving it there, in case the grasshoppers find it easier pickings than the tatsoi that is growing four feet up in the tower.  Maybe they'll eat that and leave my tower plants alone.

Finally came the squash.  Patty pan, to be specific, now that it has made fruit and can be identified. I noticed it when it was small, 5 or 6 leaves, smack in the middle of the yard, on the edge of what we called "the Pile of  Crap" that was chicken coop construction debris.  I skillfully managed to keep it (the PoC) out of most pictures of all of the yard elements, but trust me, it was there in all it's tetanus-potential glory. The squash is about thigh-high now, and growing really well.  I couldn't crop all the PoC elements out of the photo.  I think it's really cool that these plants have just decided to make the best of their situations and bloom where they've not-been-planted.  Yes, it's inconvenient to walk around that squash for now, but I'm glad it's here, and am honoring it's willingness to volunteer in our yard.