How to use comfrey in the garden

Credit: Sheena Adams

Comfrey, or Symphytum officinale, not only helps to break down the compost heap, but can also provide many nutrients to the garden.

Filling bucket with fresh
comfrey leaves.

Strain the tea after a week.

Comfrey leaves are full of phosphorus, potassium, trace minerals, calcium and vitamins A, B-12 and C, and when brewed as a garden tea, they produce a wonderful comfrey cocktail for the garden. (Due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey, it is a tea for the garden only; not for people!)

To brew, simply fill a bucket 1/5 of the way with fresh comfrey leaves and then top up with water. Let sit one week (in the sun), stir, strain and use. Comfrey tea is excellent for planting, transplanting or seeding, as the extra phosphorus will help the roots develop.

While your plants are growing, the tea will aid in fruit development, disease resistance and the all-around health of your plant. You can use this tea several times through the season – just think of it as a monthly multivitamin for your garden.

Don’t throw the brewed leaves away; be sure to compost them as they will add extra trace elements to the pile.

I recommend using latex kitchen gloves with this recipe, as comfrey can irritate some gardeners’ skin.