Rogue seedlings

[Mi Jardín]

This year I have one of those plastic greenhouses, and when the wind got up, all the pots got knocked off the shelf! Therefore I have everything mixed up!
Last year we had BT turn up, and the guy called in another guy to help him, and as we don't have a house number up he told him to look for the house with the rogue tomato plant in the front garden! I have no idea how it got there, but it was the most productive one of all!

[rogesse]

Last year I posted that my polytunnel was alive with tomato seedlings that I hadn't planted along with an allotment full of potatoes I hadn't planted either.

The answer was that the seed had spread through compost that had not heated up sufficiantly to destroy - I've learnt not to put potato peelings in the compost either.

Still this year - the tomatoes keep coming........

[rana]

Every year I get loads of rogue tomato seedlings popping up, I'm sure they are coming in with the horse manure (though I've yet to see a horse eat a tomato!).
Likewise occasional stray seedlings come up in shop bought compost.

[Nickerly]

I'm pretty sure some tomato seedlings have sprouted in with my cucumbers (they were all huddled together in a corner).

Am re-potting them today so will see..

[cupcake]

My lovely home made compost was thick with tomato and foxglove seedlings last year!

[Sue]

As I can't recognise which seedlings are which if there's anything "unusual" I pop them in a pot and see what happens. You do get some good things - pansies, forget-me-nots, primroses, wild rose etc and I have another batch on the go to see what happens.
best wishes
Sue

[Eyren]

I haven't had any rogues in my Miracle Gro Organic Choice compost - a three-inch nail, but no foreign seedlings!

I couldn't find any peat-free seed compost in our local garden centre, only a John Innes mix, so mine are in whatever was cheap and organic. Judging by my heaving potting shelves, it doesn't seem to have done them any harm so far

[gojiberry]

I always like to see what rogue seedlings are before getting rid of them. I have had some good courgette plants out of the compost bin before now. I also have had a good few wild orchids growing in my plant pots, I tend to leave them as they are pretty and don't take up a lot of room. I must have about half a dozen at the moment.

Ian

[Sheepish]

I think this answers a question I was about to ask. Last year a pot of supermarket bought basil we had sprouted a tomato seedling after the basil had died off. I assumed a seed had dropped into the pot at some time, planted it out and had a few tomatoes from it. A few days ago I saw that the same had happened again with a new pot. Once was a surprise, twice starts to look like a trend. I guess there's a risk of tom seeds surviving composting and getting into the basil pots before they're bought.

[hamsterqueen]

every year I have rogue tomato plants from my compost. one year we had a 4lb butternut squash from a home compost seedling, I;ve stopped putting the seeds in the compost bin now, they will survive anything!