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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: Homestead <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] Comfrey, in praise of
  • Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 08:35:54 -0500

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.

  • [Homestead] Comfrey, in praise of, Gene GeRue, 05/02/2008

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