COMFREY: CONDITIONS FOR GROWING
Posted on April 2, 2009, under Herbal.
The leaves dry naturally to a brittle brown, and this is another herb not recommended for home-drying. However, the quick decomposing of the leaf and stem tissue can be helpful to gardeners: comfrey leaves are most beneficial additions to the compost heap. The chemical composition of the leaves is very close to that of animal manures, and breaking down in a very short time can help a bin of compost along in approximately half the usual 2 to 3 months’ “cooking” time. My own bins, with the addition of comfrey, yarrow, tansy and valerian, are ready in about six weeks.
The home gardener seldom has to worry about the drought conditions that comfrey cannot stand—conditions that make large-scale plantings impracticable in country areas without irrigation. So use all the advantages of one or two comfrey plants in your backyard. Grasshoppers and caterpillars know what is good for them, too, and comfrey leaves are often their first stop in visiting the herb garden: so keep a constant vigil.
Give the plants sunshine and moisture, deeply dug soil, and a situation where their abundant growth will not encroach on more delicate plants, and they will give your family all the goodness with which nature has endowed them.
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