Garden Recipe: Comfrey liquid feed
Comfrey fertiliser is a game-changer when it comes to nourishing your plants and vegetables. This organic wonder is packed with nutrients that promote healthy growth and vibrant blooms.
Making your own liquid feed is sustainable and eco-friendly as it reduces the need for chemical-based fertilisers. We only use comfrey fertiliser, alongside horse manure and compost in the Garden.(Supplemented with slow-release granular fertiliser in the plants we sell) And best of all, it’s free!
It is a natural source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, essential elements for plants. Not only does it provide the necessary nourishment for your garden, but it also improves soil structure, making it easier for plants to access water and nutrients. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, or just starting out, why not have a go at making some of your own to see how your plants thrive.
We use rainwater butts to make our comfrey feed, but you can use a bucket. Full disclosure, it can be a bit smelly so a lidded container may be useful.
Here’s how we make it in the garden:
- Collect a big bushel of comfrey leaves (use gloves as the leaves can be a prickly irritant!)
- Break leaves up and shove down the drain-pipe connected to the water butt (ours has a gauze between the drain pipe and water collector)
- If it’s a particularly dry spell – hardly a problem at the moment! – we might run a couple of watering cans worth of water through
- Over time, the comfrey mulches itself with the water running through the broken up leaves
- To use: Dilute the resulting feed roughly 1 part feed to 20 parts water
- To maintain: When the feed becomes very light in colour, add more comfrey leaves.
Bucket method:
Collect a good amount of comfrey leaves, chopped and added to the bucket, stems and all. Add water (or better yet, leave bucket out to collect rain water). After around four weeks, it should be ready to use. The amount of water you add will dictate the colour of your feed, but you’re aiming for a liquid that is light brown in colour. The darker it is, the more it needs to be diluted before being used as feed.
