All About Comfrey: How to Plant, Use, and Where to Get It

Even for those of us who are laser-focused on growing food at home, some inedible plants make the list of stuff to include in the mix. These plants will likely have other important uses. They may be highly medicinal, great for pollinators, or soil conditioning. Sometimes, it’s absolutely beautiful.

Comfrey is one of these plants, and in fact, it has all of the positive qualities listed above. It’s a very handy medicinal plant to have easily available. Bees and other pollinators flock to it. It has a deep-reaching taproot that pulls up nutrients from deep within the soil, and its nutrient-rich lives kickstart compost piles. And, it has lush foliage with very attractive flowers.

In other words, comfrey is a plant—a weed to many—worth getting more familiar with. It’s easy to grow, useful to have, and eager to multiply. Comfrey is a favorite in permaculture circles as a popular feature in larger vegetable gardens and food forests. It’s a plant that has truly made the scene.

The Basics of Comfrey

Officially known as Symphtyum officianale (common comfrey), S. uplandicum (Russian comfrey), and S. grandiflorum (creeping comfrey), this plant has a reputation for propagating itself very well. In short, left unchecked it might become “invasive”.

Its leaves are large, dark green, and fuzzy leaves, spreading out from a central stem. Its flowers are dainty, purple or pink, and bell-shaped. They frill out from a central stem that can readily get three feet tall on common comfrey (taller for Russian cultivar, and short on the dwarf creeping varieties).

Comfrey grows well in temperate climates, thriving in USDA Zones 3-9, often dying back in the winter and returning with a vengeance in the spring. So, it is perennial. It can be started from seed, but it can be slow to do so. Most growers prefer to take small pieces of the root to get a new plant going.

Growing Comfrey

As with many plants deemed as weeds, growing comfrey isn’t particularly difficult. Once the plant exists, the bigger issue will be keeping it under wraps. It should be planted somewhere easy to get to so that it can be thinned out to provide the right amount rather than too much. It will likely come back habitually wherever it is planted as only a tiny bit of root can produce a new plant.

Comfrey prefers moist soil, but its deep roots do make it drought-tolerant. It doesn’t need fertilizer of any sort. There isn’t much issue in the way of pests or diseases. It is a terrific companion plant for fruit trees, and many people use it as an edge plant for garden areas, both vegetable and ornamental.

How to Use Comfrey

As we’ve already noted, for such an easy plant to propagate and grow, comfrey is a fantastically useful and versatile plant. It can be integral to soil conditioning, compost decomposition, herbal medicine chests, pollinators, and garden beauty, both for its lush foliage and pretty flowers.

1. Composting: Comfrey can be used as an inoculate in compost piles. Its high-nutrient, nitrogen-rich leaves will break down quickly in the middle of a compost heap to get it fired up.
2. Soil Amending: Comfrey is considered a “dynamic accumulator”, meaning its deep roots pull up lots of nutrients other plants can’t reach and deposit them atop the soil when the plant decomposes. Lots of growers will trim back leaves periodically and drop them in the root zone of fruit trees or hungry vegetables to provide them with a boost.
3. Foliar Fertilizer: Chopped comfrey parts can be used to make a quality, organic liquid fertilizer for the veggie patch. Comfrey “tea” is made by filling a bucket with chopped-up comfrey and allowing it to steep for about a week. Allow it to ferment, and once the bubbling stops it can be put into a sprayer or watering can to apply it to crops.
4. Medicinal: Usually, comfrey is used topically. It is famed for its ability to mend broken bones, ease joint pain, and soothe old injuries. Herbalists typically make a salve from it, infusing it into wax and oil. (Video below).

Where to Get Comfrey

The best way to get comfrey is to find it for free. It might be growing as a wild plant in the yard or a nearby field, or a friend might be cultivating it for the very reasons we’ve just discovered. It is often available at local nurseries and farmers’ markets, and it is certainly available from sources online. And, remember, one plant can soon be divided into several.

Related Content:

• Comfrey, a Weed We Should Learn to Love
• 7 Plants That Enrich Your Garden Soil
• All About Yarrow: How to Plant and Use It
• How to Grow Milkweed and Why You Should
• 8 Plants That Are Good for Treating Bumps, Bruises and Cuts

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