[escapedtothecountry]

Having finally drained the pond, the next task is to grow myself some comfrey beds for use as fertiliser.

I've ordered seeds as opposed to plants.

Anyone done this before? Worth doing? Is it easy to grow from seed?

Jonathan
www.escapedtothecountry.com

[Rosemary]

No idea about seeds - we've always use root cuttings of Bocking 14. In fact just waiting ofr the tenant of our old house to move out so that we can go and get a load for here 

[deepinthewoods]

bocking 14 is the one reccomended for higher potassium levels, it doesnt set seed so has to be grown from root sections,
its that time again, anyone doing a mailout???

[escapedtothecountry]

I ordered some of these:- http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/all-other-vegetables/herbs/comfrey/214TM

[Dan]

bocking 14 is the one reccomended for higher potassium levels, it doesnt set seed so has to be grown from root sections,
its that time again, anyone doing a mailout???

We will be in mid-late April, when we'll be lifting a load from our old garden to plant here. PM me with your address if you can wait that long. 

[bloomer]

can i have some i can collect it :-)

[deepinthewoods]

thanks dan!

symphytum officinale is common comfrey, its still good as a fertiliser but not as pokey as bocking 14, symphytum uplandicum is the best for healing purposes.
amazing stuff comfrey, lawrence d hills was a genius, and is so under recognized, ffs he started the organic movement.

[escapedtothecountry]

Just looking for it to help my plants / veg grow so cant wait to get it in! From what I've read it spreads easily so I assume attention needs to paid in ensuring its doesn't take over.

[Fleecewife]

Bocking 14 spreads a bit but is fairly easy to dig out of somewhere you don't want it - and then pass it on to someone who wants to start a bed.  Comfrey from seed is scary as you might never be able to restrict its growth. The leaves seem to be smaller too and the plants altogether less impressive.   I think the bees will still love it.
Sorry - I'm still not up to digging up comfrey to send out this year although we have masses.  Anyone is welcome to come here and dig their own (South Lanarkshire)

[Dan]

can i have some i can collect it :-)

Of course you can. 

[Dan]

Just looking for it to help my plants / veg grow so cant wait to get it in! From what I've read it spreads easily so I assume attention needs to paid in ensuring its doesn't take over.

We never had any trouble with Bocking 14 spreading, over about 10 years. One root cutting = one plant. 

[Fleecewife]

I think it depends on just how you use it, and how neat and tidy you are. I bury a bunch of chopped Bocking 14 leaves in the planting holes of my tomatoes and the odd bit of that seems to root.  I did have a large bed of 100 comfrey plants near a fence and I now have none on this side of the fence, where the sheep grazed it down to nothing, but plenty on the other side, further away than just being from a spreading plant.  Either they seeded themselves, which shouldn't be possible, or small bits were flicked by the chomping sheep and have taken root. I also have a lot of Bocking 14 which has magically appeared in my bramble area - I haven't used it as a mulch here and have no idea how it has spread, but it has

[Slavo]

I have received some comfrey roots from Fleecewife last year. Now that I have my new allotment  as soon as it is I will send 3 people some root cuttings and if each of those 3 send it to 3 more then the whole forum will have their own comfrey 

[FiB]

Please?!!!  I went to a seed website, added a load of herbal seeds (inc comfry), got to checkout and backed out (being in a new age of austerity!).  I would love a cutting and love a 'pay it forward' cutting and seed system.  Yipee.  I can offer lots of packets of seeds that I got free in mags last year but dont have good enough beds (yet) to plant - carrots etc.  Will list elsewhere.

[little blue]

I'm up for more comfrey - never seems to be enough here!
 (ok its brocoli, but its green!)