comfrey...

lobbyludd

I have bought a comfrey plant (knowing the medicinal and sacrificial slug palnt properties and used when younger living in the countryside to harvesting wild) before reading up on it's growing habit.

10ft roots! as invasive as JKW etc: I have a tiny garden, I don't want to be only growing comfrey. with 10ft roots, I guess a pot is out of the question, has anyone here successfully grown it without it becoming invasve, and if so how? I really would like to have some, none grows wild round here (I've looked)

Davesnave

Is it Bocking 14? That's the only strain I'd consider as it's infertile and won't set seed everywhere.

If it is, then it can be kept in pots, but obviously large ones.

My comfrey hasn't spread sideways, but I harvest it regularly. The whole point of comfrey is that its tap root pulls nutrients up from deep in the earth and stores them in its leaves.

lobbyludd

no unfortunately it's not, just normal comfrey, so I'd have to be on top of harvesting before it got a chance to self seed. Thanks for your reply, not sure what to do, might see if the community garden wants it.

[Deleted User]

I would not have ordinary comfrey even if given for free. I do have 9 plants of bocking 14, growing in a designated area on my allotment. I harvest it 3 times a year and it has not grown sideways at all but I do keep watch. It is a wonderful plant on an allotment and is the main source of nutrients for all my fruit and veg and via them to us, in a safe way

forgotmyname

I have an allotment plot full of the stuff. It's awful to get rid of.

Huge amount of work to dig up. Weedkiller barely touches it.
Worse thing is. If you throw it on top of the compost pile it carries on growing.

My compost pile if now infested with the stuff.

powershopper

When the comfrey in my garden gets unruly, I haul it up and stuff it into the Council Garden Wheelie!
Some of it gets dropped into the water-butt. Pongs a bit, but by 'eck, it don't arf make the garden grow !!!