I firmly believe that comfrey, specifically the Bocking 14 strain developed by L D Hills founder of the HDRA is very under rated by both gardeners and farmers.
It will grow in most ground; from sand to heavy clay, wet or dry, sun or shade. It’s deep roots draw nutrients up from below to make a plant rich in nutrients, especially potash.
Comfrey is versatile and can be used to make a compost activator, seed compost, liquid feed, and fertilising mulch.
It’s also useful as a food for poultry and livestock ranging from pigs to race horses. It is a very productive fodder crop out-producing many of the more common crops and being higher in minerals and nutrients.
Articles on propagating, cultivating and using comfrey
Growing & Using Comfrey for Gardeners
How to Grow Comfrey, Uses & History
I am convinced that anyone growing their own should devote some space to growing comfrey. I call my comfrey patch my compost mine because with a little effort I can produce a great compost activator, a high potash...
Location & Preparing the Comfrey Bed
Location of the Comfrey Bed
A comfrey bed is basically a permanent feature with a lifespan in excess of 20 years on your plot or in your garden so getting the site right is fairly critical. Once established, killing off comfrey is very difficult unless...
How to Propagate Comfrey - Propagating Bocking 14 Comfrey
The only variety of comfrey recommended and available for garden fertiliser & livestock feeding use is Bocking 14. In an ideal world you would also be able to obtain Bocking 4 which is more suitable as a livestock feed but this now seems to be unavailable...
Planting, Cultivation, Harvesting & Problems of Comfrey
When to Plant Comfrey
Ideally plant out offsets in March, April and May or in September. September plantings may not show until the following spring. Late planted offsets in pots can be moved into the greenhouse or a cold frame in late January, early...
Comfrey – Medicinal Uses of Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Comfrey & Liver Damage
Comfrey has been found to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids that damage the liver and has been implicated in causing cancer of the liver. Exactly how high the risk is in ingesting comfrey is not known...
Using Comfrey: Making Comfrey Compost, Comfrey Liquid Feed or Tea
Comfrey as a Compost Activator
Cuts of comfrey fresh or wilted can be laid onto the compost heap, layered with the weeds or grass cuttings. Comfrey is so rich that it can be used as if it was manure to activate a slow compost heap.
A layer of wilted...
Feeding Comfrey to Poultry and Other Livestock
Feeding Comfrey to Chickens
One of the problems of feeding hens is that whilst we've managed to well nigh double their egg-laying capacity by selective breeding over the last hundred years we've not increased their crop capacity.
The hen's...
