A plant that emerges spontaneously in a field or garden without being intentionally sown by the grower. These usually sprout from seeds dropped during the prior harvest, tubers left in the ground, or windblown seeds. While sometimes tolerated, they are often treated as weeds because they compete with the current cash crop, harbor pests, or complicate harvesting.
Heard on the job
We've a lot of volunteer corn coming up in the soybean field that needs to be sprayed.
Insider tip
In crop rotation, volunteers from last season's crop are a major headache because they can carry over diseases you were trying to break the cycle of.