It's good you pointed it out, Steve. Most herbalists don't even use it internally any more and if they do, it's in very, very limited amounts and under very strict supervision. I also limit what the chickens get...about 2 largish leaves a week amongst the 6 of them is all I dole out. They did fine with it last year and I'll stick with the regime this year...the rabbits will get even less.
comfrey
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897tgigvib
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No more eating Comfrey, except maybe at homeopathic amounts then.
Should still be good as growing for compost shouldn't it?
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See, this is one of those things that shows me humans are still new at the agricultural life. 10,000 years of an agricultural existence and we are only now finding out about this. There sure will be more things to find out.
Should still be good as growing for compost shouldn't it?
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See, this is one of those things that shows me humans are still new at the agricultural life. 10,000 years of an agricultural existence and we are only now finding out about this. There sure will be more things to find out.
canesisters
Garden Master
Ok - what did I miss that makes comfrey and composting such close buddies?????
digitS'
Garden Master
It may be that comfrey has composting value much like stinging nettle has composting value, Cane'.
I have had stinging nettle both as a tea and as a green on my dinner plate
.
It has a flavor much like spinach. I don't put spinach in my tea mug and soon lost interest in stinging nettle tea
. In fact, it is so hard to handle and such an undesirable "companion" - I'd prefer not to have it anywhere near my garden. Still, I bet there's some real value to stinging nettle (& comfrey) as compost ingredients.
Steve
ETA: Think we might see Canesisters turn into a composting expert?
Notes on Compost Teas, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (click)
I have had stinging nettle both as a tea and as a green on my dinner plate
.It has a flavor much like spinach. I don't put spinach in my tea mug and soon lost interest in stinging nettle tea
. In fact, it is so hard to handle and such an undesirable "companion" - I'd prefer not to have it anywhere near my garden. Still, I bet there's some real value to stinging nettle (& comfrey) as compost ingredients.Steve
ETA: Think we might see Canesisters turn into a composting expert?
Notes on Compost Teas, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (click)
bobm
Garden Master
Stinging nettle in the compost ??? No how, Nope, Nada.... not ever in my yard. Good way to increase that DREADED monstrasity. Kill, mame and destroy at any hint of a seedling in the compost ! 
897tgigvib
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Cane, Comfrey is a plant that has a strong deep root system that pulls nutrients from waydownunderthere. Mostly it pulls up Potassium, the K part of that NPK numbers on fertilizer boxes.
After the Comfrey plant pulls up that K a good amount of it is stored in the plant. So, when Comfrey is a good part of your compost heap, you have a compost heap rich in Potassium.
Comfrey is like a living miner with its roots. It mines that K from farther down than most vegetables can go to get it.
Fodder Radish is another living miner good to grow as a compost crop. It picks up a good mix of nutrients from waydownunder. Alfalfa is probably the best miner for nutrients, but Alfalfa has some contoversy about being used too much in compost. Some say it has some chemical that causes reduced growth of other plants, some disagree with that.
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Stinging Nettle has a different reason for being added to compost. Supposedly it has a property about it that causes compost to biodegrade more rapidly.
I fully understand Bob's feelings about stinging nettle. But Bob, if you are at the burn pile with your nuclear powered torch ready to incinerate that vermin nettle @#$^^ stuff, may as well put on the gloves, grab some snips, get a bucket, and cut a bucket of the ^$%^#(& nettle vermin's $%&& leaves, and give them a good curse while sticking them on top of a pile of fresh lawn cuttings, a volcanic caldra on top of it, add some more curses, then put a pile of fresh manure over that, and then another 3 foot high pile of lawn clippings over that. Make a nice wide fire line around it for if it catches. If it does, good. If not, that's good too! Either way, those #$&^*& vermin nettle leaves will help you while they thought they'd get you. It's a win win!!! Won't it be great to do a win win on those #$^$%&%#^*%^## vermin nettles? Beat them twice!
<<< Stinging Nettles wars! Beat them twice. Kill them, and then make them help you! insert evil laughter here!
After the Comfrey plant pulls up that K a good amount of it is stored in the plant. So, when Comfrey is a good part of your compost heap, you have a compost heap rich in Potassium.
Comfrey is like a living miner with its roots. It mines that K from farther down than most vegetables can go to get it.
Fodder Radish is another living miner good to grow as a compost crop. It picks up a good mix of nutrients from waydownunder. Alfalfa is probably the best miner for nutrients, but Alfalfa has some contoversy about being used too much in compost. Some say it has some chemical that causes reduced growth of other plants, some disagree with that.
===
Stinging Nettle has a different reason for being added to compost. Supposedly it has a property about it that causes compost to biodegrade more rapidly.
I fully understand Bob's feelings about stinging nettle. But Bob, if you are at the burn pile with your nuclear powered torch ready to incinerate that vermin nettle @#$^^ stuff, may as well put on the gloves, grab some snips, get a bucket, and cut a bucket of the ^$%^#(& nettle vermin's $%&& leaves, and give them a good curse while sticking them on top of a pile of fresh lawn cuttings, a volcanic caldra on top of it, add some more curses, then put a pile of fresh manure over that, and then another 3 foot high pile of lawn clippings over that. Make a nice wide fire line around it for if it catches. If it does, good. If not, that's good too! Either way, those #$&^*& vermin nettle leaves will help you while they thought they'd get you. It's a win win!!! Won't it be great to do a win win on those #$^$%&%#^*%^## vermin nettles? Beat them twice!
<<< Stinging Nettles wars! Beat them twice. Kill them, and then make them help you! insert evil laughter here!
peteyfoozer
Garden Addicted
I had no idea stinging nettles were good for compost! There is scads of it growing here on the ranch...some right by one of my gates so I never go thru that one! 
I plan to make some soap with nettle tea though, as I heard it is supposed to be good for you. We'll see. But as soon as I can get back out, a bunch of it is going in the composter!
I plan to make some soap with nettle tea though, as I heard it is supposed to be good for you. We'll see. But as soon as I can get back out, a bunch of it is going in the composter!
NwMtGardener
Garden Addicted
Hmmm, just read an interesting article on comfrey and soil amendment, and i remembered we had a discussion about it, so i thought i'd share it with you all! Its from Permaculture News, and is just one person's analysis of the soil before and after planting comfrey. Seems like its not just an old wives tale that it is beneficial.
catjac1975
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I cannot say enough that planting Comfrey is an invasive menace.
AMKuska
Garden Master
My mother is a master herbalist, and used comfrey regularly as a soak for broken bones etc. She had broken bones healed in half the time it normally takes, and the doctors simply could not believe it. That being said, I've never heard of it being used internally. My mother said something about it being bad for a certain organ. (Liver? Kidneys? I'm afraid I don't remember. My job was limited to picking the evil spikey leaves of DOOM. Big meanie herbalist.)
The plant she had grew HUGE, but I don't recall it spreading.
The plant she had grew HUGE, but I don't recall it spreading.
