The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: knightquest on September 12, 2011, 10:43:37 pm

Title: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: knightquest on September 12, 2011, 10:43:37 pm

Hello Juliet.

Just a quick picture of the first thing I planted at the allotment.........Some of your comfrey  :trophy:

It was planted about a month ago and as you can see, it is doing well.

(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h43/knightquest_photos/Comfrey002.jpg)

Thanks again for sending it.

Hope you are well today  :bouquet:

Ian

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Dan on September 12, 2011, 11:07:47 pm

Brilliant, is that Bocking 14? You'll have great crops from it next year.  :)

We're about to plant a comfrey bed, will need to have a word with Juliet.  ;)

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Rosemary on September 13, 2011, 09:46:14 am

Or we could raid Longcarse  ;D

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Fleecewife on September 13, 2011, 10:16:16 am

I'm glad it's taken so well to its new home Ian.  Next year those plants will be huge  :) and you will get lots of fertility from them.  Thank you for your health wishes - not too bad today, just waiting for hospital still...boring not being able to do much, all those beans going to waste because I can't freeze them......

Dan and Rosemary - Yes it's Bocking 14 - all grown from a few pathetic gnarled bits of roots bought many years ago. You are welcome to as much comfrey from here as you can dig up - I can no longer dig it for you I'm afriad, but there is absolutely masses here available for free.

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Dan on September 13, 2011, 10:35:54 am

Thanks for the offer Fleecewife, much appreciated.  :)

But as Rosemary has reminded me we have a huge bed of comfrey at our old house which we own until May! So we'll probably raid there when we pick up our pig ark.

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Blonde on October 16, 2011, 08:57:35 am

Doyou use the cormfrey for your pigs?

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: feldar on October 16, 2011, 11:13:28 am

Fleecewife, i think i have something called Russian comfrey in the garden it is low growing and the bees love it, very invasive though. Do you know if has the same poperties as normal comfrey?

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: SallyintNorth on October 16, 2011, 02:29:09 pm

Hi feldar

Bocking 14 is a sterile (non-seeding) variant of Russian Comfrey.  So all the good things you get from Bocking 14 will be the same with your standard RC - but as you say, the non-sterile plant is extremely invasive.  It's a good job it's so beautiful and useful, 'cos you'll never be rid of it!  :D

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: deepinthewoods on October 16, 2011, 04:02:24 pm

i seem to remember from lawrence d hills book that bocking 14 is higher in potassium.

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 16, 2011, 11:25:36 pm

I thought of growing some but didn't want my garden taken over by it.  Would it grow in buckets?

Title: Re: Comfrey for Fleecewife
Post by: Dan on October 17, 2011, 09:54:25 am

Quote from: Mad Goatwoman of Madeley on October 16, 2011, 11:25:36 pm

I thought of growing some but didn't want my garden taken over by it.  Would it grow in buckets?

Bocking 14 won't take over your garden, it's non-invasive and doesn't spread by itself since it's non-seeding as Sally said.

I don't think it will do at all in buckets. It is a deep-rooting plant and roots can extend to over 10 feet, one of the reasons it's so good at extracting elements.