Comfrey?

[catjac1975]

If you really want I will send you a plant later in the spring. Don't say I didn't warn you. I try not to let them go to seed.

 

[Kassaundra]

After a little noodling around I came up with this: There are two main varieties of comfrey.
1. Symphytum officinale, this one reseeds and is probably the one that everybody curses.

2. Symphytum uplandica, this one has sterile flowers and is propagated by root division. There is one strain named "Bocking 14" that seems to be popular.

I remember @Kassaundra mentioning some time ago that she was planting the Bocking 14 comfrey. Maybe she can let us know of her experience with it.

Yes both bocking varieties (4 and 14) have sterile flowers no seed propagation at all. They are not invasive, but once planted in a location are almost impossible to eliminate from that location (unless you have chickens eating every speck as soon as it appears) They are hard to eliminate b/c if a particle of root is left they will regrow from that root, and as mentioned they have huge tap roots.

The officinale (old fashioned ) variety is highly invasive spread by seeds and root cuttings.

I think they are awesome fodder and great composting material higher in nitro then most manures. There is much controversy in the U.S. especially about some liver issues from using it as fodder, but in Europe it has been used for centuries w/o problems.

 

[Just-Moxie]

Mine lived 3 yrs. The chickens didn't even discover the comfrey patch till it was empty and back to sand. I am still hoping they come back up. So much of this one little acre refuses to grow anything!