Comfrey is a perennial, low maintenance herb with bell-shaped, violet flowers with hints of creamy white. Both the stems and the long leaves have small rough "hairs". It grows up to one meter high.

Comfrey has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant, but it is also very good as a soil improver and green fertilizer. With its deep roots, it gets access to nutrients deep in the soil, substances that are then stored in the leaves. The leaves, which contain a lot of protein (16%), can be cut down during the season and used as cover material or mulched into the soil and used as an excellent addition to the compost. It is also good to let the plant remain and wither in the autumn, in order to release the nutrients to the soil in that way. You can also use it to make your own mineral-rich fertilizer water. We have grown comfrey for more than 30 years and above all used the large amount of stems and leaves in the compost.

If comfrey is planted around a manure pile, it helps reduce nutrient leakage. If it is used in this way, it is good to cut the grass around it, to prevent spreading. With its dense root system, it can also form a barrier against root weeds, making it a good edging plant around plantations.

Comfrey can grow in most soils, from dry and sunny places to shady and wet ones. It thrives best where it is slightly moist.

Please note that this is True Comfrey, Symphytum officinale. It should not be confused with Upland comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum), which is a natural cross between True comfrey and Forage comfrey (Symphytum asperum). It is the Uppland comfrey that spreads to such an extent that it causes problems and is fought as an invasive species. True comfrey also spreads and can certainly become a weed, but is not at all on the same level. Comfrey reproduces both by seed and via the roots, it is always a good idea to take care of your crops so that it does not spread outside its borders.