Making your own organic fertiliser is a natural way to give your plants a real boost to avoid using commercial shop bought products. It’s also very effective.
About Comfrey
Comfrey (Symphytum Caucasicum) is a herb, a member of the Borage plant family, and is hugely beneficial to plants in the garden. It has large hairy leaves with bell-shaped small purple, yellow or white flowers, which are a magnet for a host of pollinators, especially bees.
Growth and Containment
As Comfrey tends to spread it can become invasive so it is best confined to its own area, ideally a large container or raised bed with plenty of room for the roots to grow. Removing the seed heads will help prevent the plant from self-seeding randomly over the garden.
Growing Conditions
Comfrey is a perennial, deciduous plant that thrives in full sun or semi-shade and well-drained soil.
Nutrient Benefits
Rich in potassium, also containing nitrogen, phosphorous, vitamin 12 and other minerals Comfrey is a ‘must have’ for organic gardens.
Using Comfrey as Mulch
The leaves of the plant provide a superb mulch for vegetable patches, especially greedy feeders like tomatoes and potatoes. Shrubs and flower borders will flourish and grow strongly from a generous mulch of comfrey leaves mixed with grass clippings spread around the plants.
Before the leaves can be used as a mulch they need to be chopped up and left to dry out completely as any green pieces will rapidly take root! The dried leaves can also be used to line the bottom of planting holes for shrubs in the garden or containers, providing a nutritious slow-release fertiliser.
Comfrey in Compost
When added to a compost heap, Comfrey acts as an amazing compost accelerant providing nutrients and encouraging healthy bacterial activity.
Safety Note
It is important to note when handling Comfrey to always wear gloves as it’s hairy leaves can cause an allergic reaction, and also to be aware the plant is poisonous to pets.
Have a look at our Village Gardens Online Nursery :
Village Gardens is widely recognised as one of Cape Town’s best landscaping and garden design firms. Based in the Southern Suburbs, they pair creative vision with environmental sensitivity—specialising in water-wise, indigenous, edible and wildlife-friendly gardens.
