Symphytum Officinale. Comfrey is the perennial cousin of borage and their pink and blue blooms attract just as many pollinators. This... Read More
Exposure Partial to full sun
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Symphytum Officinale. Comfrey is the perennial cousin of borage and their pink and blue blooms attract just as many pollinators. This fast-growing herb has multiple utilities. For composting, it can be used a bioactivator as well as an abundant source of green material as it will quickly regrow after being cut. Further, their long taproots draw nutrients deep from the soil into their leaves. For these reasons, their cuttings are often used as mulch in permaculture gardens to increase organic material and improve soil nutrition. It was historically grown for its reputed healing properties and is still today used topically in medicinal salves. However, if not managed, Comfrey can become quickly invasive. They reseed readily and root remnants can become new plants. Consider growing in raised beds or containers. To keep them in check, cut back before they flower.
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Latin
Latin
Symphytum Officinale
Family: Boraginaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Easy
Season & Zone
Season & Zone
Season: All seasons (perennial)
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Timing
Direct sow in container or its permanent spot in mid-spring, about 3 weeks before average last frost. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 14-21 days.
Starting
Starting
Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep and keep moist until seeds germinate. If growing directly in the soil, thin to 60-120cm (24-48″) apart. Plants will grow large and fill in the space.
Growing
Growing
Comfrey is an un-fussy perennial. They reseed readily and root remnants can become new plants. Cutting back leaves regularly can help keep plants in check and remove flowerheads regularly to prevent self-sowing.
Harvest
Harvest
Cut the leaves once plants for 60cm (2') tall for use as fresh mulch or fertilizer tea, or as a bioactivator for compost.
Seed Info
Seed Info
Usual seed life: 3 years.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
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Direct sow in container or its permanent spot in mid-spring, about 3 weeks before average last frost. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 14-21 days.
Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep and keep moist until seeds germinate. If growing directly in the soil, thin to 60-120cm (24-48″) apart. Plants will grow large and fill in the space.
Comfrey is an un-fussy perennial. They reseed readily and root remnants can become new plants. Cutting back leaves regularly can help keep plants in check and remove flowerheads regularly to prevent self-sowing.
Usual seed life: 3 years.
Cut the leaves once plants for 60cm (2') tall for use as fresh mulch or fertilizer tea, or as a bioactivator for compost.
