Comfrey - the wonder plant

The History of Comfrey

Comfrey is a native herb in Britain and has long been known as a medicinal herb. It was cultivated by ancient Greeks. Its botanical name is Symphytum officinale and it is a member of the Boraginaceae family as are Borage and Forget-me-not. The name Comfrey is a corruption of ‘con firma’, which ties in with its old common name of Knitbone.

Historically comfrey was grown as a medicine and used to treat everything from ulcers to broken bones.

In the 19^th century a Quaker smallholder, Henry Doubleday became intrigued by Russian Comfrey. He did research, including the treatment of wounds on horses. Henry Doubleday spent the last thirty years of his life researching into the food values of the comfrey crops he grew. He introduced the cultivated varieties which the varieties of today are based on.

In the 1950’s Lawrence D Hills picked up on this and he started what has become Europe’s largest organic gardening association, the Henry Doubleday Research Association now called Garden Organic. Hills ran selective breeding programs and developed the best gardener’s cultivar, Bocking 14.

Nutritional Values of Comfrey

Comfrey contains high levels of the basic NPK nutrients, drawn up from the deep by its extensive root system. This NPK mix makes it an ideal fertilizer for many vegetables but especially so for potatoes and tomatoes.

Hills listed the following nutritional value of Bocking 14 Comfrey in his book Comfrey, Past Present and Future;

Material	Water (H20)	Nitrogen (N)	Phosphorus (P)	Potash (K)	Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio (C:N)
Farm Yard Manure	76 %	0.64 %	0.23 %	0.32 %	14:1
Wilted Russian Comfrey	75 %	0.74 %	0.24 %	1.19 %	9.8:1
Indore Compost	76 %	0.50 %	0.27 %	0.81 %	10:1

Comfrey Liquid Feeds

Comfrey can be made into a wonderful liquid feed – it is quite simple. Take a barrel or tub; add comfrey leaves to about a quarter way up the barrel, fill with water and leave for 3 to 5 weeks. Warning! It will smell like an open sewer as it ferments! However the liquid can be used as a wonderful tomato feed.

Using Comfrey in the Garden

Over the season you can expect to get 3 or 4 cuts from an established comfrey bed. The first cut is probably best used under potatoes. A layer of, preferably, wilted leaves placed in the trench under the potatoes will quickly rot down to provide nutrition to the potato crop. One side benefit is that the flavour of potatoes is supposed to be improved by using comfrey as a fertiliser. 

 

The second cut can be used to start making liquid feed.

The high level of nitrogen in comfrey and the low carbon / nitrogen ratio, means that it is not really suited to making compost on its own. It is, however, an ideal activator for the general compost heat. Mixing comfrey with compost and leafmould will create natural compost ideal for potting on tomatoes. 

 

For more information visit: -

www.shropshirecomposters.co.uk

www.gardenorganic.org.uk