[Homestead] Comfrey, in praise of

Gene GeRue genegerue at ruralize.com
Fri May 2 09:35:54 EDT 2008


I was doing some rearranging around the main compost pile a couple  
days ago and spied several young comfrey plants. Rather than let them  
become buried or bereft of sunlight or toss them onto the compost pile  
I instead transplanted them. As in the past I put them on the outside  
of the chicken pen fence, far enough away that hens can't peck the  
main stalk but can eat the growing leaves. Like cows stretching their  
necks through a fence to get the better grass, chickens love the  
stuff, so make sure the root is well out of their reach.

The deep roots of comfrey pull up nutrients. The leaf is high in the  
three basic nutrients and also micronutrients. Not well known is that  
comfrey is an excellent compost pile stimulant. Comfrey is good for  
hens and good for us, not just as a medicinal herb, which is perhaps  
its most famous use. When I raise rabbits one day I will feed it to  
them also. Some gardeners use it as fertilizer but I haven't done  
that. Mostly I let the chickens feed on it and occasionally throw some  
of the leaves into the compost. I think of the plant as a part of my  
permaculture scheme.

Comfrey’s botanical name is Symphytum officinale.  It is a member of  
the Boraginaceae family as are Borage and Forget-me-not. 


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