What Is Comfrey and Why Should Gardeners Grow It?
Comfrey thrives alongside other dynamic accumulator and pollinator-friendly plants—if you’re building a productive garden ecosystem, you might also want to consider borage as a companion planting ally.
It’s one of the most resourceful, beneficial parts that US fruit and veg growers can bring into our gardens. It’s been used as a herb for over two and a half 1000 years. It’s a native of the UK and Europe. Now it’s widespread all around the globe thanks to English immigrants taking bits of this plant with them. And the reason why they took this plant with them is because it’s fantastic. As a herb it’s been used to treat joint injuries. But for us gardeners, it’s all about what it can do for our fruits and vegetable plants. Now let’s have a look at comfrey.
The Key Features of the Comfrey Plant
First of all, we’ve got these beautiful purple flowers. These are really popular with bee so they bring pollinating bees into the garden, along with a whole host of other beneficial insects. If you enjoy attracting pollinators to your garden, it’s well worth growing native perennial pollinator plants like bee balm alongside your comfrey for even greater pollinator activity. If you’re growing other herbs nearby, it’s also worth knowing about harvesting rosemary correctly so you keep those plants healthy and productive too. But look at these rough leaves here these course leaves okay, you get loads of foliage on these company plants.
How Comfrey Works as a Dynamic Accumulator
Now, below ground country sends roots, three meters, so that’s 10 foot one and a half times me standing up down into the ground. For that reason it’s called a dynamic accumulator. What happens well these roots that go so deep into the ground they effectively mined for nutrients and what they do as they draw those nutrients back up into the foliage. So we’re talking about loads of nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potash, and potassium. And it’s potassium that makes this have such value to us. Because potassium is such an essential nutrient for the healthy options. If you want to put those nutrients to work beyond comfrey tea, it’s worth exploring this ancient fertilizer method using only time to turn organic material into powerful garden feed.
Ways to Use Comfrey in Your Fruit and Vegetable Garden
There’s lots of different ways you can use comfrey in your garden. First of all, you can make a lip feed, or
Using Comfrey Leaves as a Planting Trench Liner
you can wilt comfrey leaves and you can line trenches for planting things like potatoes or run a beans. You can put comfrey leaves into the bottom of planting hole for a newly planted plant and it will release those nutrients as the plant grows. People grow Humphrey in orchards underneath fruit trees because as the foliage dies down it returns essential nutrients to the soil for more productive plants. So although those probably the most useful one, if you can get your head round it is comfrey tea liquid comfrey it does come with a warning though. It absolutely stinks like a blocked toilet.
How to Make Comfrey Tea Liquid Fertiliser
Now that hasn’t put you off. Then this is how you can make some comfy tea for your garden. First find your comfrey which if you’re growing it won’t be too difficult but you will need quite a lot. It depends on the size of the container. Cut down the right amount of comfrey and give it a really good shape. To get rid of any insects that have been with it. Let them go back to getting on with their lives. Your containers should be big enough to store as much comfrey tea as you want. So we normally go for a decent sized plastic dustbin with fixable lid on the container pretty much to the top with your loosely chopped up comfrey and then top this up with water to just below the rim. Unfortunately secure the last and then run away well just walk away find yourself in a safe place. So after about a week, come back holding your nose and carefully take off the lid. You should find that you’ve got some pretty well rotted comfrey tea in there. And all you need to do now is to save this into your watering can and dilute it one part comfrey to about four parts of water. Also that it looks like weak tea then you can start using it in your garden. So there you have it. One of the most beneficial plants that we gardeners can use in our gardens and comfrey is a perennial plant so what that means that countries with cold winters now
How to Grow Comfrey in Your Garden
to grow come free you can literally just get someone that you know has got some to cut a little bit of fruit out of the ground. Put that in your garden and away you go or you can buy seedlings nurseries. One thing to note though, look at this bunch of company here is doing incredibly well. And once you’ve got it in your garden, you’re going to probably have it in your garden to keep so put it in a place where you can afford to let this plant spread and grow.
Controlling Comfrey Spread: Tips for Contained Planting
If you’re worried about it you can always put inside a tire set so the roots will go down spread too wide. It doesn’t need to go into the actual soil though so those roots can go down and mine those nutrients. So don’t be too fearful of growing this plant in absolute beauty. It can be so much for us gardeners get some comfrey into your garden today and start a lifelong relationship that will be productive and beneficial. For you and your garden.