paul b long

I wonder how many of you have discovered the benefits of Russian comfrey (symphytum x uplandicum)? I have several plants in my garden and near the compost heap on my allotment (fruit and veg plot) in North London and I swear by it. The first plant was given to me by my son a a cure for gout, but I find it works better as a plant feed.

Comfrey is a deep-rooted herbaceous perennial with large hairy leaves and purple flowers that can grow to about 1m in height and spread and, once established, can be cut 3 or 4 times each season. Its leaves are rich in nitrogen and potash and can be added to compost heaps as an activator, applied to the soil around plants to provide nutrients or decayed in rainwater to produce a rich black - and smelly! - liquid feed.

The liquid feed is especially good for tomatoes and a mulch of comfrey leaves is great for currants and potatoes. I have heard that a layer of comfrey leaves in the bottom of your potato trench, with a layer of soil on top before you plant the potatoes, produced excellent results and I plan to experiment with that this year. A mix of chopped comfrey and leafmould, left to break down, is a great basis for home-made growing media.

Do not use it with acid-loving plants.

Comfrey is best planted in the spring (but any time in the growing season will do) with a good feed of manure or nitrogen-rich fertiliser. After that, a mulch of manure every couple of years will help it to thrive.

Cheers
Paul

smgardener

Found a nice photo of this plant on flickr:


Courtesy of tristrambrelstaff

lulugardens

Thanks for the tip Paul. I'll have to experiment with it this spring. I'm especially interested in seeing what it can do for my compost. And of course it is a lovely little flower in it's own right.

gbronner

Comfrey is a hardy herbaceous plant which thrives in most types of soil. It will survive frosts, but tends to loose most of its leaves through winter, then bounces back with the arrival of warmer weather. You will get the best yield of lush leaves if you provide it with a moist, fertile soil. Comfrey is a great companion plant for most vegetable crops.

It really is a great way to add organic gardening practices like Paul described and I encourage you to try it I am sure you will be surprised at the results

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pinkpoppy

I discovered comfrey about 12 years ago. After cutting in down I chop it up and stuff it into an empty water barrel. A few weeks later I draw off the liquid 'comfrey tea' then dilute it to use in garden or greenhouse. When I first took over my present garden comfrey tea did wonders for 3 very old, long neglected climbing roses.

weedme

I have grown comfrey for a couple of years and when needed i take the leaves and make a poultice for bruises my kids love it cos it makes a gooey mess, distracts them and it works a treat! much better than popping a few pills for pain and rubbing artifical chemical based creams on in my opinion.

paul b long

That's interesting. My original plant (it's had a lot of children and grandchildren in the past few years from offsets) was given to me by my loving and thoughtful son because he had heard that a comfrey poultice was a great relief from the agony of gout.

Dan D Lion

It's the first time I've heard of it. Sounds great! I will try and get a plant for my yard....

paul b long

There is helpful information about uses of comfrey on this link
Comfrey

imp

Great information! Thank you, especially about the planting tips!