Comfrey - The Gardener's Friend

Symphytum sp.
Comfrey, Russian Comfrey, Knit-bone, Bone-set
BORAGINACEAE 

Comfrey growing next to the compost bin

Comfrey is a real friend to the organic gardener and one of the most useful plants you can grow.

Gardeners need to be growing this Russian variety (Symphytum x uplandicum) and not the one that commonly grows wild in Europe (Syphytum officinale) - which has been used for centuries as a herbal remedy.  Russian comfrey is distinguished by large, hairy leaves and tubular, mauve flowers borne on tall stems (S.officinale is a a smaller plant with pink/white/yellow flowers).  If you have ever grown borage you will see that it is a similar looking plant to comfrey in fact, they are in the same family.

NOTE: Both the Russian and wild varieties have medicinal properties - it's just that the Russian one is better for our use as organic gardeners - it's a larger plant with bigger leaves.

Herbalists grow comfrey for its many healing and medicinal properties - and have been doing so for centuries.  A common wild plant native to Europe, comfrey is known as 'knitbone' for it's usefulness in reducing swelling, bruising and for setting bones.  It contains allantoin (a cell proliferant), in other words, it speeds healing.

NOTE:  When I was a child, in the 1950's, I used to relish our holidays away from smoggy London to my uncle's farm in Hampshire.  It was another world and the folklore of the country was very much alive.  For example - falling out of the trees in the orchard seemed to be a regular occurrence for my brothers and I, and any bruises and bumps were treated, by my aunty Joyce, with a poultice of comfrey leaves plucked from the hedgerows that grew around the farm.  I can tell you that it worked! (Or, it may have been the thick slice of warm, homemade bread, topped with strawberry jam and clotted cream!)

Farmers have traditionally used comfrey for animal fodder as it is rich in protein and minerals particularly, nitrogen, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.  Chickens are pretty smart at knowing what's good for them too and comfrey is the first thing they go for if they are foraging around the garden.
TOP TIP: Plant comfrey around the chook house.

How is comfrey used by gardeners? 

• As a compost activator to produce and enrich compost
• To make liquid feed and compost tea fertilizers
• As a fertilizing mulch
• Comfrey has a large tap root that can grow to a depth of 3m and, for this reason it is a good idea to plant it where you intend to keep it and not move it around.  This large root system does the job of 'mining' minerals from the soil up into the leaves  - this is why it is such a fantastic 'dynamic accumulator'. 

Why use comfrey?

1. It has a high content of the three plant macro-nutrients NITROGEN(N), PHOSPHORUS(P) AND POTASSIUM(K).  Comfrey is higher in nitrogen and potassium than farmyard manures, garden compost and about the same for phosphorus.  Plants need nitrogen for healthy leaf growth, phosphorus for root growth and potassium to produce healthy flowers, fruit and seeds. (See previous post on understanding soils and pH) so it makes a lot of sense for organic gardeners to be growing comfrey - it does the work for you!
2. Comfrey leaves have a relatively low carbon to nitrogen ratio.  This means there is no risk of nitrogen 'robbery' when comfrey leaves are dug into the soil (which is what happens when you put fresh manures and lawn clippings on the garden).  It also has a low fibre content which means comfrey leaves decompose rapidly.  That's why it makes such a fantastic mulch plant - it quickly revitalizes the soil - you can quite happily pile the fresh leaves on the soil and watch them decompose into the most fantastic, richest mulch you will ever see!
3. Its low fibre content and high nutrient content means it breaks down quickly when added to water - releasing all those wonderful nutrients to make perfect liquid fertilizer.  (See previous post on how to make compost tea)
4. Adding a few comfrey leaves to your compost heap will help it break down more quickly.  Because it is so jam packed with nutrients it stimulates activity in the heap - that's why it known as a 'compost activator'.
   

Fresh comfrey leaves as mulch on one of my veggie patches

TOP TIP:  Have one comfrey plant next to your compost heap so you always have a few leaves to add every time you put in a load of something else - like kitchen scraps - it helps to break it down quicker.  Plant it in the 'dead' spots in your garden where is isn't taking up useful garden bed space.

To Propagate

• Divide large clumps at any time of the year.  Beware - the smallest root will produce a large clump. 
•  It also grows very rapidly - one plant giving up to 2.5kg per cut then regrowing to give up to ten cuts per year.
• Anyone can grow comfrey and is easy to establish on most soils.
• Comfrey rarely suffers from any serious pest and disease problems.

And You Thought Gardening Was Boring?
Researching topics leads me to trawl through the dusty shelves that is my library and I came up with this from a book By Robin Page called 'Cures and Remedies the Country Way'.  And I quote.  "Marriage - once again this is not an illness (although some would disagree)..............
For the girl who has lost her virginity she has great problems in concealing this from her prospective husband.  It is an old belief that she can conceal her past from her husband-to-be by having a long bath on the eve of her wedding in hot water and comfrey.  This will do-up whatever has been undone"

Girls - I would not rely on this if I were you but, I hope the rest of it has been useful!

SEE PREVIOUS POSTS:  Composting.  Hot Composting.  No-Dig Garden Beds.  Compost Tea

Composting

"Do you think you are educated?  I don't care if you can speak French, you have an MBA, you've travelled the world, you've accumulated plenty of money and you run your own business - you're uneducated if you don't know how to make a compost heap" Satish Kumar, Environmental Activist 2007

Compost Confusion: A lot is written about composting but many people are still confused and fail at their first attempt and then give up - 'the heap didn't break down', 'it went really slimy', 'it just stank and was full of cockroaches' etc. 

I want everyone to be a successful composter because it makes your plants grow better and recycles nutrients that might otherwise have been lost AND - it is deeply satisfying.

So - how do we turn this  - to this?

Here are a few simple tips:
1.  Get the recipe right.  For compost heaps to work they need about 15-20 parts carbon (C)(dry,brown stuff)to one part nitrogen (N)(green stuff/manure).  That's a lot of brown stuff to green.  

To help you - think about how nature feeds itself - say a forest?  What is dropping on the forest floor to replenish it? A lot of leaves, decaying logs, branches, strips of bark, ash from spot fires, fallen flowers, fruit, feathers, shed animal skins, egg shells, decaying bodies of animals and insects etc.  That's a lot of brown stuff to green.  There is a direct correlation here and it's helpful in thinking how compost is made in nature and what you should be putting in your heap (just leave the dead bodies out please!). 

I repeat because it is important - you need more of the carbon (sawdust, coffee grounds, dry leaves, straw, newspaper, kitchen scraps etc.)  than the nitrogen  (fresh pulled weeds, fresh grass clippings, seaweed, fresh manure, stable sweepings etc). 

TOP TIP: Keep some sawdust or shredded newspaper next to your bin and add a handful every time you put a load of weeds, kitchen scraps or grass clippings - this way you will be getting the recipe just right.

2.  Keep it simple.  There is no need to go out and spend $500 on a compost bin.  Choose the system that will work for you and your family - one that you will use.  If you don't have enough stuff to fill a compost bin fairly quickly then you may be better off with a small and compact worm farm.
What Kind of Bin:  Compost bins need to be large enough to generate adequate heat – about 55oC – to break down materials and prevent unwelcome guests like cockroaches.   I have always had success with the plastic black bins – the million dollar bins (they are made from recycled banknotes!). However they will generally not get hot enough to kill off seeds – so don’t put invasive weed seeds in there (feed them to the chooks (or worm farm) or ‘hot’ compost them in a black plastic bag).  However, this does mean that beneficial ‘volunteer’ seeds will keep your veggie garden regenerating from the compost you spread around – you will always be getting new tomatoes, parsley, basil, papayas, coriander, dill, cosmos, zinnias, rocket etc. popping up here and there.

If you have a large garden you may opt for a bigger space to make your compost and one of these bays made from recycled wooden pallets is ideal.  Note the black plastic ready to cover the heap when it rains - compost heaps like to be moist but not waterlogged.

3.  Give me a sunny spot.  A lot of people make the mistake of putting their compost bin out of sight/down the back/behind the shed etc.  There are two problems with this.

Firstly: for compost heaps to work they need to be warm and airy.   

Secondly: if it's not convenient you won't use it.   You won't be making trips to them with the kitchen scraps if they are too out of the way. 

  

Return a little of what you have taken – don’t throw it away.  Composting is part of the natural cycle of life – by returning to the soil what once was living you will be part of that valuable process.  Compost adds life to the soil.  It improves plant growth, increases the capacity of the soil to hold nutrients and water and the ability of plants to resist disease.  

"If we returned our bodies to the soil, and all of our human and organic waste, we would go a long way to solving the earths' soil fertility problems.  Bill Mollinson (co-founder of the  Permaculture Movement) from a lecture I attended in 1988

What to Leave Out:  

• Dairy products and meat scraps, they can bring maggots.  
• Too many citrus peels – they rapidly change the pH and kill off the micro-organisms necessary to make the compost work. 
• Oils and fats.  
• Large pieces of watermelon skin and pumpkin will attract rats  - chop it up and bury it in the middle of the bin. 
• Coloured and glossy paper. 
• Plastics. 
• Any plant with thorns. 
• No chemicals.

TOP TIP: Grow some comfrey plants (Symphytum officinale) next to your bin.  Are you ready for this?  Comfrey is a dynamic accumulator which makes it a fantastic compost activator.  Because of its deep root system it is full of 'mined' minerals and nitrogen and gets the whole heap magically working (and you also have a talking point at dinner parties!)

Comfrey growing next to my compost bin - keep it handy!

What Can Go Wrong: 
Foul smells – usually means the heap too wet and has become anaerobic - that means it has stopped working because too much green (nitrogen stuff OR not covered during heavy rain).  Solution - add some brown (carbon stuff a handful of garden lime/ dolomite or wood ash) and turning the heap will help to combat this.  
Not working at all – too cold/dry/or not enough N – add some fresh garden weeds/manure/lawn clippings/comfrey and maybe move to a sunnier spot.

TIP: The smaller the pieces that you put in your compost the quicker it will work.  Weed and prune your garden beds before you mow – use the catcher and you will have a perfect shredded mix to add to the compost heap.

A Little Story:  When I went to visit my brother-in-law in the UK he very proudly showed me his impressive, newly constructed compost bays, but he was just a bit upset that he still didn't have any compost - they weren't working.  When I looked in the first one it was full of grass clippings and when I looked in the second, dry leaves - neither decomposing.  So what had gone wrong?  Well the first was too nitrogen rich and the second too much carbon.  What did we do? Combined the two together, added a couple of bags of old sheep manure he had lying around, watered and covered the heaps and 'hey presto' two working heaps and after about two months lots of lovely compost.  (Oh, and Carl did add the magic ingredient guaranteed to get compost heap working - urine (nitrogen rich and such a dreadful shame to flush it away!)

 What the world needs now is a sense of humus 

What a lovely load of rubbish!