comfrey

What is comfrey? It is a perennial herb that supposedly has medicinal uses. I'm interested in comfrey for use as fertilizer. The leaves break down faster than other organic material so it's great to use as a fertilizer when potting plants or use in the garden. Similarly, the leaves can also be used to create liquid fertilizer by submerging the leaves in water for a few weeks. Recipes for comfrey liquid fertilizer can be found online; just do a search.

Comfrey is not easy to come by, and it is not commonly available. You may find a few people who sell comfrey seeds or rhizomes, and comfrey plants. I acquired my comfrey plant from Silver Heights Farm Nursery at the greenmarket at Union Square. They sell all kinds of certified organic starter herbs and veggie plants for your home garden.

I have read online that comfrey plants are best planted in the ground because the roots draw lots of minerals deep in the soil that is not easily accessible. Seeing as I don't have that as an option, I am keeping my comfrey plant in a container. It's currently in a nice plastic pot but I will transplant the comfrey plant to the 7 gallon root pouch. I think the comfrey will like that better. It will be roomier for the roots to spread out and the air will keep the roots cool with air circulating through.

I'm also planning to make comfrey tea so I can use it to fertilize the tomato plants and strawberry plants. I think the plants will be very happy with that. Stay tuned...