Re: Violets as Soil Indicators

[Jane Sherry]

Title: Re: Violets as Soil Indicators

Hmm, as usual, you give much food for thought, Frank. The main reason I am asking, is because one of my main advisors, has recommended letting it lay fallow with a cover crop this coming summer. But impatient person that I can be, I am tempted to follow that advice for only half the area (the whole plot is 1000 sq. ft) and amend the whole thing with bd compost, town compost and more preps. The area has received preps now for four springs, summers & falls & the Erbe Three Kings for two winters, plus one of the trees is set up to act as a broadcaster, a la Steve Storch, with many meditations furthering things along. I was wanting to put new medicinal herbs in the ground this season, but was concerned that the violets indicate poor soil. From what you wrote, it sounds like just the opposite. This neighborhood is also a heavily wooded area in general, the garden site is also downhill so it does receive plenty of moisture even in drought years, which certainly won’t be a problem after this winter.

Good to eat your violets, Frank, and to hear from you. Soon it will be spring and one can never eat too many of those early spring greens & purples! (well, actually, you could eat too many violets, but it would probably only be a deep purge).

Jane

PS: Did I ever mention those great landlords of ours in the catskills, who made wine from lots of different flowers? We had a glorious wine tasting with them one winter eve, sipping on elder wine & elder port, dandelion wine and the treasures --rose petal wine & violet wine...but just a thimble full!

From: "Frank L Teuton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 09:47:33 -0500
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Violets as Soil Indicators

Hi Jane,

I've seen violets mostly in heavy clay soils (DC suburbs, Baltimore, and now here in Montreal. Typically rich in organic matter. Likes shade but will take sun if the soil is moist. pH generally neutral to alkaline.

Lots of fun and always a pleasure for me to see a violet, although some folks agree that they are weeds in lawns, I don't see it that way...strawberries don't necessarily mean acidity either, but lots of organic matter (which buffers pH 'de tout facon', or as the Quebecois say, 'anyway'....;-)....and that means some balance between fungi and bacteria, driven the way the plant likes it....

It's a 'woodland plant'....

My two cents,

Frank Teuton--who has eaten violets more than a few times