North Georgia mystery plant

[Sedona]

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Greetings from Tucker.

I bought a house in Tucker last fall with a generous amount of fruit trees which is awesome. I even have some nectarines appearing.

Lots of raised beds ready for planting and tons of volunteer strawberries and raspberries Yay!

In all my days gardening I've never done so in this area. My most recent garden before now was in Sedona, AZ so you can imagine my delight in being able to grow some stuff that was never possible in that dry climate and rocky soil.

I won't go in to the ridiculous number of new things I'm trying but suffice it to say, I think I may have overdone my varieties but hey there is no try, only do.

In my yard at the base of several of the fruit trees all in a row, looking like they were planted on purpose by previous owner, is this crazy plant I've never seen before. Its like an iceberg, 90% of it is a thick white (on the inside) carrot shaped roots that are next to impossible to pull out. The roots go quite horizontal and are enormous. They break like a fresh carrot and smell a little bitter. I don't have the guts to try a taste.

It has pretty big (10-12 inch) leaves and little purple flowers. Its definitely a perennial. They all went through a hard hard freeze here at the beginning of the year and bounced back beautifully. They are pretty but the roots are something out of a sci fy movie.

If you cut them off at the top with a weed eater they seem to multiply.

Is it a weed? Is it going to take over my yard like bamboo? How far do the roots go? I'm trying to do a asparagus patch and they are perilously close (okay they are a few trying to catch hold in the patch but I'm getting them out little by little)

It doesn't seem to be setting fruit or vegi. WTF is it? Can I eat it? Can I compost it safely? Should it go straight to the landfill?

Help!

[Cattledog]

1. Virginia Bluebell has purple flowers

we have them here in Decatur. Possibility?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mertensia_virginica

[Demit]

2. If you can't get an answer here, try

the Facebook group Plant identification and Discussion. The folks there are very knowledgeable.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/623997204362467/?fref=nf

Btw, the flowers in the photo look white. You say they're purple? Are they blooming now or was it earlier this spring?

[Demit]

3. Look up Comfrey (sometimes used as a companion plant for fruit trees).

[Sedona]

4. Thanks! Its comfrey!

Good thing I didnt try to eat it

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Where I come from, comfrey has blue flowers.

But I see, now that I have just googled images for it, it can have white, purple or blue flowers.

Super food chickens, mine loved it.
Has many uses, including wound healing (external, leaves) but questionable for internal use, warnings about liver.
You will probably never have to plant it again, I remember mine spread everywhere.

[MissB]

6. There are at least two types of comfrey.

I have Bocking 14 I think. It's sterile- the plant will flower but not spread. It'll get bigger and I can easily divide it and put it in a new area if needed.

I use it for composting purposes. One it gets pretty tall, I generally cut it back pretty hard. I can do that several times a summer. I put the leaves directly on a garden bed, not even cutting them up (leave them whole) if pressed for time. It breaks down quickly and in the meantime it helps keep moisture in the bed.

The roots go impressively deep. It supposedly mines minerals from deep and draws them up. Not sure of that but it's pretty awesome as a source of a quickly composting layer.

[MissB]

7. And since they put them at the base of the fruit trees

they probably meant to use them as a chop and drop compost layer for the fruit trees. I'd say you scored!