Comfrey

Growing Comfrey

Comfrey will grow easily in many conditions but it prefers full sun or partial shade. It will grow in most soils but likes a rich soil to feed it’s appetite for nutrients.

Plant root cuttings in early spring, autumn or winter.

We harvest comfrey twice a year from newer plants, once in spring and then again in autumn although you could harvest from established plants more frequently if they grow back rapidly.

Uses

Use Comfrey however you wish to feed plants. Chop & drop, add to compost or make a compost tea. Chickens will also eat it.

Plant with everything but make sure you have the space for it first. It will grow from small root fragments so can be hard to get rid of. Great around the drip line of fruit trees. We also use it as an edging plant to food forest areas to help keep grasses from encroaching where they aren’t wanted. It is often one of the first herbaceous plants we add to a new food forest area along with Lavender  and Lemongrass.

Comfrey has historically been used medicinally but there are concerns about it’s safety. For information about it’s effectiveness and safety, this study is a good place to start.