Borage instead of Comfrey

[fayeme]

Hi just got my allotment lease confirmed woo! and I've been pouring over internet forums on how to best use green feed for toms and such. Can I use Borrage the same way as Comfrey to make feed?

[Guest]

You can stew all plant matter to give as a feed but it tends to be a case of knowing what nutrients they need. Comfrey helps fruiting plants, nettles help leafy plants, I can't remember what seaweed does, but have no idea what comfrey will help. It might be worth experimenting or just using it as a mix.

[Paulieb]

Borage is an annual plant so you would need to let it go to seed itself or resow every year to keep a supply. It does reseed itself very easily if left alone, but if you cut it all down for feed then obviously it won't.

Whereas comfry is a hardy perennial so will keep growing back year after year no matter how much you cut it back. It is an invasive plant in the wild and on roadsides for example. You should look for the bocking 14 variety which is sterile and does not spread by seed (division only).

[roitelet]

Borage is recommended for things like squash and other gross feeders. Comfrey is high in potash and nettles nitrogen.

[Alison]

Borage is recommended for things like squash and other gross feeders. Comfrey is high in potash and nettles nitrogen.

Interesting, I feed comfrey to anything fruiting (inc squash etc) and they seem to like it, I do grow borage (use the flowers in salads and it attracts beneficial insects) but not enough to make feed.

[ancee]

Borage grows itself in my garden. Springs up everywhere. Bees love it. Never thought of using it as a feed. Where did you get the idea from?

[roitelet]

The French are really into natural fertilizers, purins. Read it somewhere in a gardening mag.

[Gillykat]

Borage is recommended for things like squash and other gross feeders. Comfrey is high in potash and nettles nitrogen.

Would it be worth putting some Borage plants in the same bed as my pumpkins and squashes? Growing both for the first time this year Or do the borage benefits only really come from making it into a fertilising liquid?

[roitelet]

Would it be worth putting some Borage plants in the same bed as my pumpkins and squashes? Growing both for the first time this year Or do the borage benefits only really come from making it into a fertilising liquid?

As far as I am aware the benefits are from the liquid and the plants get huge, too big I would say for a companion plant.

[marchogaeth]

When making liquid fertilizer, Comfrey is relatively high in Potassium and Phosphorus compared with its Nitrogen content and so would be thought of as a feed for "fruit". Borage (like nettles) is slightly richer in Nitrogen than the other two and so is considered a feed for green growth. However, plants need all these elements so any liquid feed will help make healthy plants because it's not as concentrated as a other feeds be it artificial or "organic" (Not that debate again, please!).

I wrap a comfrey leaf round each potato when it goes in the ground - haven't done the trial but it's a harmless pastime. Borage, I encourage to grow like a weed round any bean type plant so I get good pollination even in a year when the weather and winds are discouraging bees on my quite exposed site.

Gillykat, borage won't flower at a time to help pollinate your squash but Cerinthe certainly could, I have that as a virtual weed in the tunnel, it's started flowering now (for my peaches) and I can transplant it out into the garden beds as it germinates throughout the year.

[Gillykat]

Brilliant advice as usual Thank you for that. I never knew that about comfrey and nettles.....it's really interesting!

To be honest I'm growing Borage because I like the flowers AND, more importantly, because bees like them It's the main important factor I look for in a plant as I love to see them buzzing around in a garden. Last year in the polytunnel was like the tropics with the amount of insects in the tunnel because of the sweet peas, French marigolds, Calendula and Nasturtium flowers

[purplekat]

Not much about using as a plant food but page on borage...
All About Borage - The Permaculture Research Institute

[fayeme]

Thanks

Thanks for all the interesting info and amazing tips guys! I think I'll probably stick with comfrey as green feed as it looks like its all over the plot. I'm definitely gong to give planting borage in with my beans a go!