Question on Comfrey

Hey Gardeners

I have been reading up about comfrey and am currently growing a few plaints from root cuttings i bought online. Im a little worried about where to plant it though. This may seem like a stupid question so excuse my ignorance if it does but as the roots apparently spread out wide and go down deep, do i need to worry about planting it close to the edge of my back garden where the fence is? Is it, for example, likely to sprout up across my neighbours lawn from the root? If so i may need to rethink. Im probably worrying unnecessarily but I prefer to be sure and safe rather than sorry given its apparently very difficult to get rid of later...

Andy

 

If it's 'Bocking 14' it'll be fine Andy no worries,the seeds are sterile so they won't spread all over the place and become invasive marvellous stuff

 

I've had problems with comfrey since I planted but this has been my own fault as I would move the plants around. I've found that it's more likely to spread when you are trying to kill it. If you just leave it alone then it shouldn't spread under your neighbours fence. The clump will get bigger over time though.

 

Hi Andy, if you've got a compost heap which is in contact with the ground, (as opposed to a closed plastic bin) you could try planting it next to that. The roots will then take up any nitrogen which would otherwise just seep into the ground, then you can either put the comfrey leaves back on the heap, or make a comfrey tea fertilizer.

 

Awesome thanks everybody Yes it was boking the plants have grown. I did hear you can kill it by placing a hot compost heap on top but given i never have enough materials to make a hot heap thats not an option for me LOL. A 4th shoot has appeared out of the 12 i had planted in a seed tray now last night so I'm nearly ready to go with it. Will probably plant it out in March :-) Thanks everybody for your help. I will just keep it now in that one isolated spot. The more it grows the better :-)

 

We have got comfrey growing every summer like crazy down in a garden we don't use at the moment. It & lemon balm seem to be the only things that grow well down there in the semi-shade.
I've been doing some research also on comfrey uses. Very interesting plant.
One article said you can dig it into your garden but leaves only, no roots as it will go crazy. And not to put the roots in compost...... Make compost tea with it etc.

Has anyone ever used it in a tea. I mean for human consumption?
I'm thinking of drying the bigger, mature leaves (no roots) in my food dehydrator & storing it for a tea.
I have a friend who suffered mastitis when she was breast feeding & made a comfrey tea from the leaves. She was fine & no more mastitis within 24 hours.

There are warnings against consumption but I still hear of people who consume it in tea, salads.

Really interesting plant




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

@Barefoothaven My mother always calls it 'knitbone' and she used to collect leaves from the spare land behind their house and make poultices and things for the knocks we got as kids. Not sure about drinking it though...

 

Yeah i read that you shouldn't eat it but it does have good healing qualities. Very good for bruising. Ive used ointments based on comfrey before now (name escapes me though) and as long as you don't use it too often it can be very good. I wanted it mainly for my own fertiliser and compost.

Im going to probably have a think about putting some down by the compost bin at the bottom of my garden when the one i have devoted to jerusalem artichoke dies its death at the end of this year. The supplier said wooden compost bins make good raised beds but I've found that the wooden boards just get eaten away by woodlice! LOL. Anyway, thanks Lorea for that suggestion, next year there will be comfrey there too

I did see a video that said the only way to kill a comfrey plants roots was by putting a hot compost heap on top. Thats not going to be viable for my garden I'm afraid. But I'm guessing that the people who said not to put it in the compost were playing safe in case people put the roots into a cold heap? I could be wrong though...wouldn't be the first time i was wrong if i am

 

Comfrey & lemon balm are the only things that grow successful in this now un used garden. It doesn't get good sun.



Had to weed whack a couple bunches of comfrey down today. It had spread down the bush track not far from this garden.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Nice Where I am going to put it, the bed is surrounded by a brick barrier on 3 sides and a fence on the 4th so I'm hoping it will behave and stay in that area but sometimes luck doesn't work that way for me! LOL

 

Just by way of update, my 5 comfrey plants going great now :-) They have not spread and the bees seem to adore them! You can hear them buzzing as you walk past! Really surprised how tall it grows! Literally to the top of the fence which is about 6 feet tall. I let it grow up before because I didn't have the heart to take it away from the bees but it has grown back very quick. Getting loads and loads of compost tea from it though Thanks everybody for the advice I'm so glad i now have it there

 

Can someone point me in the right direction for comfrey for next year please, never grown it and as long as I can contain it, I fancy growing it. Next what is the recipe for the "tea", I'd rather make my own than buy Tomorite or anything similar.

 

Probably not too late to grow it this year if you wanted to I have found it really useful for bringing on plants ive not had much luck with in the past. Ive added some comfrey leaves in the bottom of the pot for aubergine that made it come on really well. And wrapping a seed potato in a couple of comfrey leaves seems to have worked well too The cat loves the shade under the big bushy plants as well, he gets under there a lot it seems