Comfrey Plant

[pigletwillie]

I planted mine right by the compost bins so its a simple case of cut the leaves and over the shoulder into the bin. I also sow a bit of borage in amongst it to attract bees.

[supersprout]

I planted mine right by the compost bins so its a simple case of cut the leaves and over the shoulder into the bin.

I did that too until recently Piglet, now I'm eliminating composting in favour of mulch so the comfrey goes straight onto the ground. Quick (unscientific) calculation - one comfrey bed will mulch (and feed) four beds of equal size, assuming one application per bed from one cutting per year I grow borage to attract wildlife, this year I cut it back in July. The bushes flowered again (instead of going 'leggy') and we used the cuttings as mulch.

[pigletwillie]

I mulch but not on your scale SS and profess to having 4 metre square bins on each plot for compost as the finished product tops up the raised beds. I like your use of the comfrey though and will use that around gross feeders like soft fruit as a mulch / feed.

Nice tip, thanks.

[Sue]

Rustylady
Thanks for putting my mind at rest re comfrey dying back and regrowing in the Spring, thought all mine was dead....
Thank goodness hadn't got round to doing anything about it, yet another lesson learned.
best wishes
Sue

[roitelet]

Nic, any idea what area of land to devote to it if I wanted to use it as a soil conditioner on lottie instead of farmyard manure?

I don't know if this will help Snadger. John Seymores book on Self Sufficiency says that from an acre of comfrey you could get 40 - 60 tons of the stuff and forty tons will produce 4tons of good compost.

How much did you need?

[Fred Perry]

This may sound like a daft question but.....has anyone ever worked out what square yardage of comfrey you will need in relation to the yardage you would like to use it on?
Hope I have made myself plain........but not sure?

Example:- If I had to rely on comfrey as a manure on my allotment, would I need to fill a similar size allotment with it, or bigger or smaller area?

I bought 5 plants, fetched them on, cut leaves and placed in an old 4"x 6 ft plastic pipe with a plant pot on the bottom, put pop bottle with string and wood as waight. I have been collecting Comfrey Tea as liquid feed (5 to 1 ) and feeding plants direct. I am a 1st year alotmenteer but this process actualy works.

[Fred Perry]

Comfrey Press

I have just found a site that gives you lots of projects that you can make youself, in it as a type of Comfrey Press, here it is... http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Pro...jectsindex.htm
My comfrey press is mounted on the sunny side of the green house and works well.

[Snadger]

I don't know if this will help Snadger. John Seymores book on Self Sufficiency says that from an acre of comfrey you could get 40 - 60 tons of the stuff and forty tons will produce 4tons of good compost.

How much did you need?

I would be looking to put a Ton of manure on my allotment so would need to have 1/4 acre of comfrey.

My lottie is approximately 200 square yards.

1/4 acre is approximately 1210 sq yds.

Unfortunately I would need at least another six allotments of comparable size to give me the manure I require!!!

Back to the drawing board I think!!

[Two_Sheds]

Everyone should have at least one Comfrey plant (Russian: Bocking 14, sterile. The wild comfrey spreads like a weed) It is related to Borage, both are loved by bees. It is just a brilliant, brilliant plant. It provides free liquid fertiliser for your veggies

[WiZeR]

would it be an idea to plant a couple of plants in the poly tunnel? Giving earlier and later harvests?

[johnty greentoes]

This is probably totally ill advised. Where I live comfrey grows in huge abundance in hedgerows, railway sdings etc... Help yourself? I know it's not necessarily allowed but what's one plant from a clupm 20mx20m?

I'll wait for the flack.

[dirtpixie]

comfrey

here's a question..... does anyone know how long it takes a young bocking 14 to grow its spots???? Planted out 10 in late summer last year, left them in their little pots too long and had to mother them along a little when planted out, and then panicked when I found grey patches on them - thought it was mildew/grey mould and started plucking the affected leaves off - poor things! Still not sure if they were natural spots or mould/mildew, and now they're starting to grow up again after winter, would be useful to know.... all advice gratefully recieved

[wellie]

Just a silly question really. I bought two Bocking 14 strain early last year. One I planted in an old enamel sink in the vegetable garden, which has fairly poor drainage, the other I planted in a raised bed (about two wooden sleepers tall by about a foot by about 6ft long) which houses my fairly immature Fig Tree. Will the Comfrey plant growing in the Fig Tree Bed impart too much richness to the Fig, and shall I hoik it out, or can I safely leave it there with benefit?

[Two_Sheds]

Just a quick reply, cos Gardeners Question Time is about to start

1) Wild comfrey spreads like a weed - the benefit of Bocking 14 is that it doesn't, so won't take over your whole plot

2) I've never had any spots on my comfrey leaves. Think it might be mould, DirtPixie

3) Comfrey puts down a long taproot to draw nutrients up from deep underground. If it's in a shallow sink, will the root get down far enough?


here's a good intro on Comfrey for the allotment:
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetabl...nder_Plant.php

[dirtpixie]

comfrey

thanks v. much two sheds.... much appreciated. All have been well mulched and no sign of trouble so far... cheers...