My experience with these boogers is to lime your yard. The only real way of getting rid of them is to dig them up bulb and all.

lime - really? can you tell me more?
I did a search of these boards (weeds and lawn care) and came up with nothing. I also googled it and came up with key lime pie recipies decorated with violets... yummy!

I've been pulling them, but we've bought a more violeted lawn than I think my back can take.

Thanks!
-Andria

roundup will do fine. the active ingredient in the product "glyphosate" breaks down quickly once applied, works by contact only, and hasnt any residual kill qualities. i routinely weed my garden and flower beds with a squirt bottle of the stuff all the time. one thing tho, wild violets are a broadleaf weed and as such the glyphosate wont be very effective in control. check the mega stores for broadleaf weed killers and mix according to label directions. wild violets are notoriously hard to control requiring several applications spaced a week or so apart.

Round up will work as will the black plastic; Round up breaks down and it is safe to plant 2 weeks after use.

Black plastic will kill beneficial organisms in the soil and a veggie garden needs organic material. So you could think about doing raised beds lasagna style which will kill the grass and violets and build organic.

Outline your bed and cover with an inch or two of compost/peat moss/soil/grass clippings/rotted manure/leaves etc. Cover the compost etc with several layers of newspaper, moisten the paper and cover with another two or three inches of compost/soil/straw/fine mulch. Let it sit for the rest of the season and by next spring the grass/violets will be dead and the organic matter will be ready for veggie seeds.

Does the area get good sun? Veggies need full sun.

Rent a tiller and plow over the area you want to use for a garden first - or do it the mnaual-labor way and turn the ground a shovel-full at a time breaking up the soil as you go as much as possible.

Either way - pull out as much of the unwanted plants as possible as you go - which will give you a good strong foundation for your veggie bed for years to come.

I have not had success with killing wild violets with Roundup. The top foliage dies, but then it grows back. The problem is their tuberous roots are quite hardy. Be careful when pulling them, because if the tuber isn't coming up, they'll grow right back. The best way is to dig them up so you can get all the root.

Deanna

None of the glyphosate products are environmentally friendly and there is some concern that exposure to these products can harm your reproductive system as well as your bodies immune system.

If you are going to do a veggie garden do as the germinator suggested and till the ground. Any plants on the surface remove and compost. Most that are under the dirt will compost in place over time. You may have a problem the first year or so with new plants coming up but you can hoe or mulch heavily to contain them.