I freaking love your channel David. Thank you for being so authentically you and so perfectly unapologetic about it, and bringing such an accessible, can-do attitude towards gardening. You are forever, reminding me that it doesn’t have to be complicated, and all it really requires is a little commitment to some manual labor and some creativity and you can really have a lot of success and maybe even a little fun and learn something!
I think borage is my new chop n drop to spread everywhere. Quick growing, medicinal, edible, deep rooted, great for bees and other animals. Borage; comfrey's better looking cousin
Western Oregon rainforest here. Comfrey grows like a... well... a weed. My husband was injured in the winter and it was such a bummer not having fresh Comfrey! From "Be Your Own Doctor" by Rachel Weaver, put 3 Comfrey leaves, a bunch of mint, pineapple juice and ice in a blender. Blend and drink for pain relief and speedy healing from injuries.
Story of my life... Trying to improve my Tennessee dirt. Every time I start making some progress, I move. Hoping to stay put this time and actually accomplish something.
Clay is an inescapable fact of life for us as well. I would go broke in a year if I tried to improve the soil in my back yard all at once, much less the whole property. So I just work with one row or bed or tree/shrub planting at a time.
@@dogslobbergardens-hv2wf That's how I'm approaching it. I've got three 20-foot rows that I'm really going to focus on this year, but I have a larger area in cover crops (and pioneering weeds) that will provide mulch material for rows, while also improving the soil they are growing in.
@@awc0000 I think that's very wise. I've also done new rows by making individual planting holes for annuals, then putting in new planting holes down a space the next year, between the previous ones. So after 2-3 years the whole row is amended and improved.
Last year I found a massive patch of Comfrey on an empty patch of public property that is definitely not sprayed. I'm looking forward to harvesting all I can carry this summer.
I got so sunburnt on Saturday at a local art festival and I used my comfrey salve (olive oil, beeswax and comfrey) on it and it was almost completely gone the next morning! Amazing stuff.
One time my oldest daughter's then-fiance got into poison ivy and had a bad weeping, oozing rash on both arms. We had a big patch of comfrey (central NH), so she took some of that, steamed it a bit, then wrapped a poultice around both of his arms. Healed up in a matter of hours, rather than days. (Messy, though!)
Haha I'm commenting before I even listen I bet you caught it from the previous video. 😅 Also, I've always stuck to the practice of not using comfrey on DEEP wounds because it can heal the outside faster than the inside and that can be one problematic.
I'm in zone 5, Fingerlakes of NY and there's times when I think the ONLY things I can grow and have do well are grapes, white potatoes and COMFREY!! Love your JOY of life! Thanks
I have been gardening for over 30 years from zone 10 in Southern California to zone 8b in Portland, Oregon. My favorite variety is Russian bocking 14. Interestingly it is a non invasive type, it still grows big and you can easily divide it but it won't run all over the yard, you can put it where you want and it will stay right there until you move it. However, it does act differently from zone 10 to zone 8b. In zone 10, it would wane in the heat of mid summer but do very well all the rest of the year. Up here in zone 8b it does wonderful in spring and summer but dies back to the ground during late fall and winter, but it always comes back. Even a half inch piece of root planted in early spring will produce a healthy and vigorous plant by late summer "for me" ;-)
In Nigel Palmer's book (The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments), he reported test results showing that fermented plant juice made from stinging nettle and dandelion have larger quantities of major minerals than comfrey, much to everyone's surprise! Neither has those big, wide leaves that make such good mulch, but as far as nutrient accumulators, comfrey was beaten. It would be interesting to see testing on tithonia and moringa,
I finally got comfrey to start growing. I burned myself a few nights ago, I went out and grabbed a couple of comfrey leaves, bruised them and wrapped my finger. The next morning I was able to put my hand in hot water.
I have comfrey growing wild along my road. It's very pretty throughout the summer. Unfortunately I have a skin sensitivity to it and I get hives when it touches my skin. It's beautiful and the bees love it.
I grow comfrey in Canada - Zone 5b. Semi-desert. It is the Bocking 14 variety (not invasive) and it is easy to propagate simply by digging up a plant, taking some root cuttings and planting . I like it because I can get 5 crops each season and use it as mulch or as an addition to my compost. I don't use it medicinally as I've found no objective evidence that it works and I don't brew comfrey tea either for the same reason. Some claim that it is somehow magical as a dynamic accumulator, but laboratory analysis has shown there are many more crops with higher concentrations of beneficial ingredients.
People sometimes get a little cultish about this stuff. Or they learn about one thing with a lot of hype behind it, and then just stop thinking. I do grow and use comfrey, but I feel that its "magical" reputation as a biodynamic accumulator is frankly a little silly. All plants mine minerals and nutrients from the soil - that is how plants work. When making "swamp water" as David does, I usually include several different plants in an attempt at getting a wide range of good stuff. My plants grow very well with the teas I make, but I can't objectively *prove* that the teas are doing a whole lot, or a little... or perhaps nothing. I haven't taken the time to do enough side-by-side comparison to truly make a strong conclusion. I'd like to send some plant teas to a lab to find out what's REALLY in them the way I make them... but so far I haven't found anyone willing to pay for all the testing ;)
A couple of weeks ago Comfrey doesn't work, but now it's amazing! Actually, I totally agree it depends on your climate whether comfrey grows well or not. Comfrey is great here in Melbourne Australia. I actually grow the Bocking 14 strain which doesn't set seed but propagates from cuttings. The bone mend and healing properties really seem to work too. Amazing. 👍
I'm close to Idaho and going to try sweet potatoes this year. Wish me luck! Comfrey grows great here! I grow it along the chain link fence and it prevents bindweed from taking over. It attracts bumble bees and hummingbirds. I chop and drop a couple times during the season. My favorite biodynamic accumulator!
It seem strange to me for you to have to clarify yourself over and over again. I guess some people forgot to turn their listening ears on. Just in case you're wondering, I think most of us got the memo, 'grow what grows.' Thanks for catching the few who missed it the first 12 times, lol. The best of luck to you in your forever home, and good health to you and your family.
You know that you're a miracle maker, David, I followed previous instructions from you and against all odds the comfrey, tucked away in our front food forest, in amongst the small fruit trees, taro etc. next to the house, over here in rural Alachua (North Florida) is looking fantastic!!! Actually I credit all our gardening success here in North Florida to you ☺️🙏🥰
I am in northeast Florida between Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine. So far I have killed a lot of Comfrey. I have tried The Bocking 14 variety as well as the other one. I currently have one left… after growing 3 from crowns instead of roots. It is getting ready to bloom. I hope it makes it!
I am in South Florida and planting stuff from seeds, I try sun, partial sun and shade. If it dies I move on to what is doing great. Believe it or not, I've been growing white potatoes and sweet potatoes with success. Go figure. Bottom line, do what works for you, and if it doesn't move on to something else.
You crack me up, "don't let ANYONE tell you differently!" You mean like.... You!? 😂😂 Side note, I feel like there's a missed opportunity at the end when it's really dull colored and she says I wish there was more I could do with these scraps, in my head I immediately go to an infomercial - A loud announcer comes on and says 'WELL NOW YOU CAN!" Proceeds to tacky infomercial promoting your book! 🎉
The only way I can keep comfrey here in Savannah GA is by putting it in a half barrel container…SOMETHING loves eating it possibly a rabbit or two…and it’s in afternoon shade …may still have to move it once again as the season progresses here…but it makes amazing salve as well as tincture diluted WITH WATER when there is none in the garden ..off-season …as well as an amazing fertilizer that literally takes my breath away when I remove the lid…no complaints …as always thanks for sharing …stay blessed
I bought some from Billy and I am located in zone 8B. four days it’s completely grown out again. I do have a natural stream running through my property and I use that water so I’m not sure if that’s what you’re doing it but it does grow well in zone 8B.
My experience here in Sarasota, FL as well. First tried growing cuttings and crowns in the winter time and they did great. Fast forward to March and April and they can't take the heat or the full sun. Tried several times over the years and tried different sources like Coe's Comfrey and others, and same results. This year I tried in almost all shade and they did the best. My 2 plants at my house are in my covered front porch in a deep large oval planter and were the 2 largest and healthiest of the bunch. They are now showing signs of heat stress as we're getting 95+ temps already and it's not even June. Almost nobody talks about how THIRSTY these are. I have 3 large plants at my father's house and I make a third trip over there every week now as 2 times a week watering is not enough now (even though from Oct-Feb it was enough), even though they are in large pots with compost and are under an awning against the north side of the house to minimize the sun. I love the benefits of the comfrey tea for my other plants but it's almost like a full time job keeping these alive. So far this is the longest I've had these last in all the years I've tried growing them, but it's not even summer yet. Wish me luck.
Great vlog! Thanks for sharing! It took me 3 years to get my comfrey to grow well here in Alberta, Canada but now it grows about 4 feet high & survives every winter! I made an infused oil & it quickly healed my daughter’s broken fibula without the need for surgery. It’s an amazing plant. I haven’t used the root for medicine yet.
Im up here in lower Michigan so Luke from MiGardner is my go to guy for gardening. But you in Fl and Kevin from Epic Homesteading in San Deigo are my favorites also. I just have to remember you are a way different growing area so I have to adjust for that. But the content all of you guys give is awesome and helps me learn more everyday.
I bought 20 roots. I have 5 that survived. 15 turned to mush. They survived the frosts we had here in central Florida 9b. They are beautiful plants. I use them in my compost.
So many good points in the two Comfrey videos. Thank you for making this "one fits all" so understandable to the wold. Being happy and grateful for what we have is one thing each day can start and end well.
Physically you are probably healthy, mentally on the other hand, I have some doubts. I just love your and Brian's since of humor. I'm sure some people just don't get it, but getting people to think about what you are saying and why keeps me highly entertained. For all of the people who just one straight list of what you can or can not do, you must be driving them crazy! God Bless y'all and keep growing ( unless Rachael just slaps you silly and tells you to keep your hands to yourself). Life for Rachael and Mrs. Flannel is never boring.
I would think vetiver would be your "comfrey". It is for me in texas. 12ft deep roots has to mine minerals not to mention the organic matter that leaves in your sand. Roots grow straight down and multiply by bunching out. The top can be cut as a 2ft tall grass for mulch or just mow it and rake up the short pieces for mulch. Have you used it?
Moringa, Mexican Sunflower(didn't quite grasp the scientific name)and Comfrey, great chop and drops for our gardens, checking wiki for Comfrey's spanish name, if there is one, and trying that, if it grows, it grows if not well Mexican flower would probably survive and thrive. Thanks David, and wishing ya an IRIE rest of the week. 🤠
I have loved every single tool you have provided for me to use! Giving examples of what may or may not work in different circumstances has been absolute gold. Thanks 👍
I just got Comfrey seeds for central Louisiana. So maybe that`s why I`ve never heard of it because it`s some northern plant? Well, we have a forest and Mimosa trees everywhere. I have to pull up mystery Mimosa seedlings by the thousands each year wherever I disturb the soil to plant vegetables. There`s at least one seed per square inch in forest soil. I like using the branches to build trellises.
Once again…love your message. I’m in eastern wa, my daughter is in w wa. Her comfrey is getting ready to bloom, I’m pleased with a handful of leaves. I grow tomatoes and peppers like wildflowers. Learn, adapt, be happy. 😅
Had a full comfrey plant I bought at a nursery...dogs got into my raised beds and tore it out...replanted the root and it is making shoots out of the soil few weeks later Take comfort in comfrey
🤣😂I almost severed a tendon while sharpening a hand scythe. drowned it in cayenne pepper to stop the bleeding, sprayed it with Juniper berry EO to prevent infection and glued it shut with super glue. You can barely see the scar.. Fortunately I didn't do what I did while sharpening a carving knife and actually sever the tendon on my left thumb. Still have limited movement with that one. Still sharpening my knives and scythes..
-When someone calls a plant with attributes I like a weed, I get excited. -So cool that you dealt with a climate/soil like mine. Pick axes and iron bars for the win. Then, throw carbon at it! -Also, here in north Arkansas we can grow white potatoes and sweet potatoes well because we get every climate mixed together (just unpredictably, so guess!) and also goats do good in the woods. And goat meat in a slow cooker is great. -In all honesty, this reminds of scripture like Proverbs 26:4 and 5, that some people actually say contradict each other, rather than realizing it’s telling you to *think* lol.
I'm looking forward to your video about how Jeruaslem Artichokes will get you through the apocalypse. Only time I ever really cut myself with my machete I immediately wrapped it with comfrey. I don't think it would be one of my biggest sellers if people weren't using it for all sorts of things. For me its like an ATM powered by air,rain and sun. Try one of the Mediterranean varieties if you are in a hotter climate. I only grow the offianale and the boking 14 in Alaska.
Thanks for the belly laughs! Before I moved to Florida, I had most of your books in hand and I had binged on your channel for months. I think one of the most invaluable things you've taught me is to focus on growing what grows in my area. Prior to me really honing in on that, my food forest wish list was full of species that definitely would not survive here. In my excitement one of the first things I acquired when I landed here was a Sour Sop tree. Before we bought the house/property. Before I knew my planting zone. Yeahhhhh, she's dead. Money down the drain. Lesson driven home. Good advice, guru. 👍
Same here. Once I bought my house I started buying all these beneficial plants and loved the taste of Soursop but that thing died faster than I can blink once the hot weather occurred. I thought by now my Chaya tree would be all over the place and it's been several years and the "tree" (looks like a Charlie Brown christmas tree) is barely hanging on. Malabar Spinach did well but the taste is nothing like traditional spinach. Tried several years growing softneck garlic like Inchellium which supposedly does well in Florida, but in the past month, all my garlic look pitiful, even though they looked great from Dec/Jan till about the middle of March. I'll be PO'ed if again these don't produce bulbs.
Same here, I've blown close to $100 EVERY year (since about 2016) trying to get new Comfrey crowns and cuttings from several sources but it inevitably dies mid/late spring no matter how much I try. SW Florida here. I'm wondering why on Coe's Comfrey's website he still claims the Bocking #4 survives temps 120+ in Africa in the drought in full sun. I can't get my comfrey (any variety) to survive past May, in mostly shade and only 95 degrees and they require so much water, if you forget one day, poof they shrivel up and you'd think the roots would still produce new leaves but it's almost like the plant just dissolves. So much fr the 8 foot root, you'd think would resprout a new plant once it gets watered.
@@FruitTreeAddict Some of mine in the ground mysteriously died so most likely something ate the roots. I dug it up to retrieve the roots or crown and nothing was there just the dried out leaves that wilted, the roots vanished.
I suppose I could try comfrey under oaks to keep it from getting nuked by our Summer. I won't really care if it takes over that area. Getting Artichokes germinated and then keeping them alive long enough to transplant them is my current struggle.
I've moved to a colder and wetter climate and I'm finding that my usual crops of squash and corn really do not do well here. Spinach, salads and kale on the other hand are doing very well.
My brain is rotfl 🤪 split those comfrey & I’m obsessed with them right now. My seedlings are see through- gotta be the pete based acidity- idk but I need a ton
Barbara O' Neil ND. in one of her videos was talking about Comfrey. She said we are told Comfrey should not be taken internally. But. She relates a farmer had a cow the vet told him needed to be put down because there was nothing, that could be done. The cow was going to die anyway. Farmer thought I have nothing to lose. So he started feeding the cow comfrey. After one day the cow was not dead. After a few days the cow started to improve. A few more days the cow was healed . Was it the comfrey. Are a vet who needs to stick to just giving dogs baths?!
So I have this really invasive dock growing everywhere... it roots like comfrey so I assume it's "bioaccumulating" in the clay later making my yard a swamp. So, I'm going to compost it. They worms are eating it, the chickens are unimpressed, it rots in a tea so I'm hoping for the best!
I've been researching all afternoon... and it's kind of amazing! Apparently it's easy to harvest the seed and makes a gluten free flour... and, yep, it's good for the chickens too. (They're spoiled on purple deadnettle and hensbit right now.. probably why they aren't interested in the dock). I have a broadleaf known as blooddock, or bloodwort. Very interesting stuff! Glad to have it!
I bought comfrey from Sam at Scrubland Farmz and he suggested I grow it in a semi shaded area. I asked if I should grow it with my ginger and he nodded. Probably letting you something you already know but just in case you do not… in North Central Florida as well lower Alabama it might grow well in shaded areas. I still need to find out for myself. It’s my first time growing comfrey let alone growing it for the first time in Florida. I only bought it because of this video. I was wondering if I can grow it in Florida.
lmao at the first thing on the "Comfrey" article at Mount Sinai hospital is to not consume it and to not put it on broken skin, but it works just fine for both of those
It's not patentable so there is no one to produce studies showing it's safe or effective. There is no money in it. There is money to produce and distribute studies showing it's dangerous. Don't eat it as 50% of your diet.
Consume in small doses and for healing : it can work TOO well. Like mend bones before they are reset in the right position. Or heal the skin over some internal injury that needs surgery and then the doctors might miss it. A strong plant, to be taken seriously
It does have pyrolizidine alkaloids (like most/all plants in the borage family). It works in the short term at promoting healing, but excessive or chronic use is likely to cause serious liver damage. I wonder if there is a way to extract the allantoin (reputed active medicinal ingredient) while leaving the potentially dangerous stuff behind?
In the shade zone 8b Florida. You don't have to chop and drop it, it will die down in the heat of summer then will come back. I've had it for years in my garden.
Mine has died down for several years and I've never seen it re-sprout as I always buy new Comfrey so for Florida it's not a perennial it's a plant that lives for a few months and then dies out when it gets hot by late spring (basically between now May 18th-June 1st I'll be surprised if I can keep any of my Comfrey alive here in 9B Sarasota, FL).
My Comfrey grows great here in the PNW Washington the pollinators sure love it too , wonderful medicine plant Look forward to your videos always learn something thank you n God bless David 🙏 😊 🇺🇸
You crack me up! I can’t grow comfrey either. I also can’t grow potatoes but I keep trying! And now I’m trying corn for the hundredth time. I’m hoping to have better luck since trying the lasagne garden method! I’m in zone 10a so we shall see! 🙏🙏🙏
Plantain grows well out here .. we use that one for accelerating healing. We grow sweet potatoes well here, and the solanum tuberosa is hit and miss. When they grow well they grow WELL .. but I don't want to devote that much space for a sometimes crop.
I am with you. I throw everything in the ground if it grows it grows if it doesn’t. Oh well. Best advice for gardening, some Will some won’t so what keep it moving.
Comfrey brings in all the Bumblebees! 🐝
I grow comfrey and thyme next to each other. Bumblebee heaven! ❤
🎶 myyyy comfrey brings all the bees to the yard! 🎶
@@putrid_swamp_juice great idea!
@@BarbaraShafferIsagenix 😂🐝😂
I freaking love your channel David. Thank you for being so authentically you and so perfectly unapologetic about it, and bringing such an accessible, can-do attitude towards gardening. You are forever, reminding me that it doesn’t have to be complicated, and all it really requires is a little commitment to some manual labor and some creativity and you can really have a lot of success and maybe even a little fun and learn something!
If I ever stop having fun, I'll become a landscape painter instead of a garden RUclipsr. Thank you, Morgan.
Here's to having a good time. 👍 I hope you stay having a good time. Love your videos.
Me: Hey Comfrey, we’re back in!
Comfrey: WOOHOO!
My two favorite videos comfrey is terrible and comfrey is amazing lol 😂
I think borage is my new chop n drop to spread everywhere. Quick growing, medicinal, edible, deep rooted, great for bees and other animals. Borage; comfrey's better looking cousin
What does borage do, medicinally? And what zone are you in?
@It's shrimp in a bag! Zone 8b. Borage is used for inflammation (especially internal), depression, and hormonal issues, among other things
Love borage too. Good companion plant. Readily self seeds. Beautiful star shaped flowers that taste sort of cucumber like, almost effervescent.
@@daigledj Thanks!
Will it survive summer weather in Florida?
Western Oregon rainforest here. Comfrey grows like a... well... a weed. My husband was injured in the winter and it was such a bummer not having fresh Comfrey! From "Be Your Own Doctor" by Rachel Weaver, put 3 Comfrey leaves, a bunch of mint, pineapple juice and ice in a blender. Blend and drink for pain relief and speedy healing from injuries.
@somerandomperson1503 Water kills people every day, should we stop drinking water too?
Story of my life... Trying to improve my Tennessee dirt. Every time I start making some progress, I move. Hoping to stay put this time and actually accomplish something.
I live in North Arkansas in the hills. I understand. On my 3rd year at our homestead and it’s getting pretty nice in places!
Clay is an inescapable fact of life for us as well. I would go broke in a year if I tried to improve the soil in my back yard all at once, much less the whole property. So I just work with one row or bed or tree/shrub planting at a time.
@@dogslobbergardens-hv2wf That's how I'm approaching it. I've got three 20-foot rows that I'm really going to focus on this year, but I have a larger area in cover crops (and pioneering weeds) that will provide mulch material for rows, while also improving the soil they are growing in.
@@ashleycampbell8767 I'm starting to get a few nice places. Little by little.
@@awc0000 I think that's very wise.
I've also done new rows by making individual planting holes for annuals, then putting in new planting holes down a space the next year, between the previous ones. So after 2-3 years the whole row is amended and improved.
Last year I found a massive patch of Comfrey on an empty patch of public property that is definitely not sprayed. I'm looking forward to harvesting all I can carry this summer.
I got so sunburnt on Saturday at a local art festival and I used my comfrey salve (olive oil, beeswax and comfrey) on it and it was almost completely gone the next morning! Amazing stuff.
May I may I ask what brand and where you got it?
@@LisaMarieAdams I got it from perma pastures farm. They have a channel here on RUclips
I make some with the same recipe. Works great!
One time my oldest daughter's then-fiance got into poison ivy and had a bad weeping, oozing rash on both arms. We had a big patch of comfrey (central NH), so she took some of that, steamed it a bit, then wrapped a poultice around both of his arms. Healed up in a matter of hours, rather than days. (Messy, though!)
Smart!! That is no joke! 😭
Haha I'm commenting before I even listen I bet you caught it from the previous video. 😅
Also, I've always stuck to the practice of not using comfrey on DEEP wounds because it can heal the outside faster than the inside and that can be one problematic.
Very good advice
Yep, I've heard it shouldn't be used on infected wounds because the skin will heal over, trapping the infection beyond access.
I'm in zone 5, Fingerlakes of NY and there's times when I think the ONLY things I can grow and have do well are grapes, white potatoes and COMFREY!! Love your JOY of life! Thanks
I have been gardening for over 30 years from zone 10 in Southern California to zone 8b in Portland, Oregon. My favorite variety is Russian bocking 14. Interestingly it is a non invasive type, it still grows big and you can easily divide it but it won't run all over the yard, you can put it where you want and it will stay right there until you move it. However, it does act differently from zone 10 to zone 8b. In zone 10, it would wane in the heat of mid summer but do very well all the rest of the year. Up here in zone 8b it does wonderful in spring and summer but dies back to the ground during late fall and winter, but it always comes back. Even a half inch piece of root planted in early spring will produce a healthy and vigorous plant by late summer "for me" ;-)
In Nigel Palmer's book (The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments), he reported test results showing that fermented plant juice made from stinging nettle and dandelion have larger quantities of major minerals than comfrey, much to everyone's surprise! Neither has those big, wide leaves that make such good mulch, but as far as nutrient accumulators, comfrey was beaten. It would be interesting to see testing on tithonia and moringa,
@Disabled-Megatron Separately. Nigel was surprised.
Now it's amazing! Last month, though, it was terrible! Eagerly awaiting Comfrey Tales Episode 3. 😂 (Also, there's gotta be a song in this.)
Next episode:
Comfrey is.....ok, I guess?
@dalredpath How does it feel to be so right?
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim haha, I saw it today. I feel like Nostradamus, and I'm considering opening up a professional fortune telling service
I finally got comfrey to start growing. I burned myself a few nights ago, I went out and grabbed a couple of comfrey leaves, bruised them and wrapped my finger. The next morning I was able to put my hand in hot water.
The beautiful bait-and-switch. Love this channel, love what you do David.
I have comfrey growing wild along my road. It's very pretty throughout the summer. Unfortunately I have a skin sensitivity to it and I get hives when it touches my skin. It's beautiful and the bees love it.
I could see it irritating skin. It has that weird scratchiness.
@@davidthegood yes those little itch hairs
I grow comfrey in Canada - Zone 5b. Semi-desert. It is the Bocking 14 variety (not invasive) and it is easy to propagate simply by digging up a plant, taking some root cuttings and planting . I like it because I can get 5 crops each season and use it as mulch or as an addition to my compost.
I don't use it medicinally as I've found no objective evidence that it works and I don't brew comfrey tea either for the same reason.
Some claim that it is somehow magical as a dynamic accumulator, but laboratory analysis has shown there are many more crops with higher concentrations of beneficial ingredients.
People sometimes get a little cultish about this stuff. Or they learn about one thing with a lot of hype behind it, and then just stop thinking.
I do grow and use comfrey, but I feel that its "magical" reputation as a biodynamic accumulator is frankly a little silly. All plants mine minerals and nutrients from the soil - that is how plants work.
When making "swamp water" as David does, I usually include several different plants in an attempt at getting a wide range of good stuff. My plants grow very well with the teas I make, but I can't objectively *prove* that the teas are doing a whole lot, or a little... or perhaps nothing. I haven't taken the time to do enough side-by-side comparison to truly make a strong conclusion.
I'd like to send some plant teas to a lab to find out what's REALLY in them the way I make them... but so far I haven't found anyone willing to pay for all the testing ;)
I ❤ comfrey. Have it in several places in the garden 🪴👵🏻👩🌾❣️
Hi, David and Family. Hope all is well.
A couple of weeks ago Comfrey doesn't work, but now it's amazing!
Actually, I totally agree it depends on your climate whether comfrey grows well or not.
Comfrey is great here in Melbourne Australia. I actually grow the Bocking 14 strain which doesn't set seed but propagates from cuttings.
The bone mend and healing properties really seem to work too. Amazing. 👍
I JUST planted Bocking 14 two days ago, zone 5b, hoping it likes my yard 🙂
I'm close to Idaho and going to try sweet potatoes this year. Wish me luck! Comfrey grows great here! I grow it along the chain link fence and it prevents bindweed from taking over. It attracts bumble bees and hummingbirds. I chop and drop a couple times during the season. My favorite biodynamic accumulator!
That's cool, I didn't know that about the pollinators.
So far my comfrey patch is doing good here in south Texas on the Gulf but summer might be another story.
It seem strange to me for you to have to clarify yourself over and over again. I guess some people forgot to turn their listening ears on. Just in case you're wondering, I think most of us got the memo, 'grow what grows.' Thanks for catching the few who missed it the first 12 times, lol. The best of luck to you in your forever home, and good health to you and your family.
You wouldn't believe the level of emails and comments I get. Thank you.
Comfrey has great medicinal value. I've used it many times. Definitely works wonders.
You know that you're a miracle maker, David, I followed previous instructions from you and against all odds the comfrey, tucked away in our front food forest, in amongst the small fruit trees, taro etc. next to the house, over here in rural Alachua (North Florida) is looking fantastic!!! Actually I credit all our gardening success here in North Florida to you ☺️🙏🥰
I am in northeast Florida between Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine. So far I have killed a lot of Comfrey. I have tried The Bocking 14 variety as well as the other one. I currently have one left… after growing 3 from crowns instead of roots. It is getting ready to bloom. I hope it makes it!
Hey neighbor! Clay County here. :)
I am in South Florida and planting stuff from seeds, I try sun, partial sun and shade. If it dies I move on to what is doing great. Believe it or not, I've been growing white potatoes and sweet potatoes with success. Go figure.
Bottom line, do what works for you, and if it doesn't move on to something else.
You crack me up, "don't let ANYONE tell you differently!" You mean like.... You!? 😂😂
Side note, I feel like there's a missed opportunity at the end when it's really dull colored and she says I wish there was more I could do with these scraps, in my head I immediately go to an infomercial - A loud announcer comes on and says 'WELL NOW YOU CAN!" Proceeds to tacky infomercial promoting your book! 🎉
"But WAIT! There's MORE!" 🤣
@@dogslobbergardens-hv2wf yaaassss! David make it happen!!
The only way I can keep comfrey here in Savannah GA is by putting it in a half barrel container…SOMETHING loves eating it possibly a rabbit or two…and it’s in afternoon shade …may still have to move it once again as the season progresses here…but it makes amazing salve as well as tincture diluted WITH WATER when there is none in the garden ..off-season …as well as an amazing fertilizer that literally takes my breath away when I remove the lid…no complaints …as always thanks for sharing …stay blessed
I appreciate your channel because I always learn something and you're just about the only gardener that makes me laugh. Thanks!
OMG David the good comfrey brought me to a higher plane of existence, but only in zone 9b
Guy I'm dead 😂😂😂. You're gonna go to counseling and make that marriage work. Love your humor man!
Always good for a laugh!! Thanks for your time
Comfrey is a "weed" here in my swedish, northen europe area. So no lack of good compost😊
I bought some from Billy and I am located in zone 8B. four days it’s completely grown out again. I do have a natural stream running through my property and I use that water so I’m not sure if that’s what you’re doing it but it does grow well in zone 8B.
Yep, NE FL, comfrey is beautiful from Fall until Spring, and then it’s not. I’m experimenting with putting it in more shade here.
My experience here in Sarasota, FL as well. First tried growing cuttings and crowns in the winter time and they did great. Fast forward to March and April and they can't take the heat or the full sun. Tried several times over the years and tried different sources like Coe's Comfrey and others, and same results. This year I tried in almost all shade and they did the best. My 2 plants at my house are in my covered front porch in a deep large oval planter and were the 2 largest and healthiest of the bunch. They are now showing signs of heat stress as we're getting 95+ temps already and it's not even June. Almost nobody talks about how THIRSTY these are. I have 3 large plants at my father's house and I make a third trip over there every week now as 2 times a week watering is not enough now (even though from Oct-Feb it was enough), even though they are in large pots with compost and are under an awning against the north side of the house to minimize the sun. I love the benefits of the comfrey tea for my other plants but it's almost like a full time job keeping these alive. So far this is the longest I've had these last in all the years I've tried growing them, but it's not even summer yet. Wish me luck.
Great vlog! Thanks for sharing! It took me 3 years to get my comfrey to grow well here in Alberta, Canada but now it grows about 4 feet high & survives every winter! I made an infused oil & it quickly healed my daughter’s broken fibula without the need for surgery. It’s an amazing plant. I haven’t used the root for medicine yet.
Im up here in lower Michigan so Luke from MiGardner is my go to guy for gardening. But you in Fl and Kevin from Epic Homesteading in San Deigo are my favorites also. I just have to remember you are a way different growing area so I have to adjust for that. But the content all of you guys give is awesome and helps me learn more everyday.
Thank you for sharing this 🙏 ❤️ wonderful 🙏 garden tips ❤❤❤
Well done on these comfrey videos! I really enjoy learning both sides of the story.
I bought 20 roots. I have 5 that survived. 15 turned to mush. They survived the frosts we had here in central Florida 9b. They are beautiful plants. I use them in my compost.
Save the seeds or cuttings! Maybe you've found 5 genetically Florida-hardy comfry plants.
So many good points in the two Comfrey videos.
Thank you for making this "one fits all" so understandable to the wold.
Being happy and grateful for what we have is one thing each day can start and end well.
You rock. God bless y’all.
Physically you are probably healthy, mentally on the other hand, I have some doubts. I just love your and Brian's since of humor. I'm sure some people just don't get it, but getting people to think about what you are saying and why keeps me highly entertained. For all of the people who just one straight list of what you can or can not do, you must be driving them crazy! God Bless y'all and keep growing ( unless Rachael just slaps you silly and tells you to keep your hands to yourself). Life for Rachael and Mrs. Flannel is never boring.
Amen and Amen. I wish every gardening channel would list their grow zone or state or something. mid-Missouri zone 6A
Disassociative Comfrey Disorder. It's a real thing. REALLY.
DCD is becoming a real problem, lol.
😂
😂😂😂
Both these Comfrey videos are necessary for understanding it, and other plants...
I would think vetiver would be your "comfrey". It is for me in texas. 12ft deep roots has to mine minerals not to mention the organic matter that leaves in your sand. Roots grow straight down and multiply by bunching out. The top can be cut as a 2ft tall grass for mulch or just mow it and rake up the short pieces for mulch. Have you used it?
I had some in the tropics and it was great. I have one pot of it here that I need to plant. I'm not sure about the cold hardiness.
@@davidthegood we got down to 11F this past winter and its coming back just fine.
Welp, looks like I have another plant to try
Love the scent.
@@humanbeing4368 makes a great essential oil as well 👍
Moringa, Mexican Sunflower(didn't quite grasp the scientific name)and Comfrey, great chop and drops for our gardens, checking wiki for Comfrey's spanish name, if there is one, and trying that, if it grows, it grows if not well Mexican flower would probably survive and thrive. Thanks David, and wishing ya an IRIE rest of the week. 🤠
Tithonia diversifolia is perennial Mexican sunflower.
I have loved every single tool you have provided for me to use! Giving examples of what may or may not work in different circumstances has been absolute gold. Thanks 👍
I just got Comfrey seeds for central Louisiana. So maybe that`s why I`ve never heard of it because it`s some northern plant? Well, we have a forest and Mimosa trees everywhere. I have to pull up mystery Mimosa seedlings by the thousands each year wherever I disturb the soil to plant vegetables. There`s at least one seed per square inch in forest soil. I like using the branches to build trellises.
Great video.
Love the bait and switch, well played!
Once again…love your message. I’m in eastern wa, my daughter is in w wa. Her comfrey is getting ready to bloom, I’m pleased with a handful of leaves. I grow tomatoes and peppers like wildflowers. Learn, adapt, be happy. 😅
Great information! Thank you.
Had a full comfrey plant I bought at a nursery...dogs got into my raised beds and tore it out...replanted the root and it is making shoots out of the soil few weeks later
Take comfort in comfrey
🤣😂I almost severed a tendon while sharpening a hand scythe. drowned it in cayenne pepper to stop the bleeding, sprayed it with Juniper berry EO to prevent infection and glued it shut with super glue. You can barely see the scar.. Fortunately I didn't do what I did while sharpening a carving knife and actually sever the tendon on my left thumb. Still have limited movement with that one. Still sharpening my knives and scythes..
Wow - that is scary. Good save.
-When someone calls a plant with attributes I like a weed, I get excited.
-So cool that you dealt with a climate/soil like mine. Pick axes and iron bars for the win. Then, throw carbon at it!
-Also, here in north Arkansas we can grow white potatoes and sweet potatoes well because we get every climate mixed together (just unpredictably, so guess!) and also goats do good in the woods. And goat meat in a slow cooker is great.
-In all honesty, this reminds of scripture like Proverbs 26:4 and 5, that some people actually say contradict each other, rather than realizing it’s telling you to *think* lol.
Great comment.
Love the ending
I'm looking forward to your video about how Jeruaslem Artichokes will get you through the apocalypse. Only time I ever really cut myself with my machete I immediately wrapped it with comfrey. I don't think it would be one of my biggest sellers if people weren't using it for all sorts of things. For me its like an ATM powered by air,rain and sun. Try one of the Mediterranean varieties if you are in a hotter climate. I only grow the offianale and the boking 14 in Alaska.
Yes, a Mediterranean type would make much more sense here.
I bought sunchokes this year. Definitely a great one to plant as well as Siberian Pea Shrub.
Thanks for the belly laughs! Before I moved to Florida, I had most of your books in hand and I had binged on your channel for months. I think one of the most invaluable things you've taught me is to focus on growing what grows in my area. Prior to me really honing in on that, my food forest wish list was full of species that definitely would not survive here. In my excitement one of the first things I acquired when I landed here was a Sour Sop tree. Before we bought the house/property. Before I knew my planting zone. Yeahhhhh, she's dead. Money down the drain. Lesson driven home. Good advice, guru. 👍
Thank you. Poor soursop!
Same here. Once I bought my house I started buying all these beneficial plants and loved the taste of Soursop but that thing died faster than I can blink once the hot weather occurred. I thought by now my Chaya tree would be all over the place and it's been several years and the "tree" (looks like a Charlie Brown christmas tree) is barely hanging on. Malabar Spinach did well but the taste is nothing like traditional spinach. Tried several years growing softneck garlic like Inchellium which supposedly does well in Florida, but in the past month, all my garlic look pitiful, even though they looked great from Dec/Jan till about the middle of March. I'll be PO'ed if again these don't produce bulbs.
My comfrey is doing well so far here in the panhandel of Fl. Waiting on my moringa trees to grow bigger so I can put them in the ground.
I LOVE comfrey but I’ve spent hundreds trying to keep it growing in central Florida but I’m not giving up.
Same here, I've blown close to $100 EVERY year (since about 2016) trying to get new Comfrey crowns and cuttings from several sources but it inevitably dies mid/late spring no matter how much I try. SW Florida here. I'm wondering why on Coe's Comfrey's website he still claims the Bocking #4 survives temps 120+ in Africa in the drought in full sun. I can't get my comfrey (any variety) to survive past May, in mostly shade and only 95 degrees and they require so much water, if you forget one day, poof they shrivel up and you'd think the roots would still produce new leaves but it's almost like the plant just dissolves. So much fr the 8 foot root, you'd think would resprout a new plant once it gets watered.
@@kma5699 same for me. I just can’t seem to keep it alive and I want it so bad. I’ve spent hundreds on crowns. Something eats the roots
@@FruitTreeAddict Some of mine in the ground mysteriously died so most likely something ate the roots. I dug it up to retrieve the roots or crown and nothing was there just the dried out leaves that wilted, the roots vanished.
@@kma5699 mine too and I saw lots of slug/leach type things around them in the leaves so I feel like it could have been them?
Somehow im able to get Comfrey to grow well in Jupiter FL heat... so far, our Mango, Avacado, and Jabuticaba like their Comfrey companion. Need more!
Thanks for sharing I just plant some Comfrey I live in Florida I hope them grow thank you ❤
plis plis garden tour!
I'm in Ocala zone 9a sandy sand Comfrey does great for me...
Just got my seeds today 😀😀😀😀
I suppose I could try comfrey under oaks to keep it from getting nuked by our Summer. I won't really care if it takes over that area. Getting Artichokes germinated and then keeping them alive long enough to transplant them is my current struggle.
I have a friend who's rebuilding parts of her yard with comfrey...in Anchorage AK.
I've got some under my dwarf mulberry in Jacksonville Beach, FL.
I've moved to a colder and wetter climate and I'm finding that my usual crops of squash and corn really do not do well here. Spinach, salads and kale on the other hand are doing very well.
You oughtta do one on comfrey
Hit the thumbs up 👍
😂 Thanks for the encouragement and the chuckle!
Thanks
💚👩🌾💚
My brain is rotfl 🤪 split those comfrey & I’m obsessed with them right now. My seedlings are see through- gotta be the pete based acidity- idk but I need a ton
Barbara O' Neil ND. in one of her videos was talking about Comfrey. She said we are told Comfrey should not be taken internally. But. She relates a farmer had a cow the vet told him needed to be put down because there was nothing, that could be done. The cow was going to die anyway. Farmer thought I have nothing to lose. So he started feeding the cow comfrey. After one day the cow was not dead. After a few days the cow started to improve. A few more days the cow was healed . Was it the comfrey. Are a vet who needs to stick to just giving dogs baths?!
So I have this really invasive dock growing everywhere... it roots like comfrey so I assume it's "bioaccumulating" in the clay later making my yard a swamp. So, I'm going to compost it. They worms are eating it, the chickens are unimpressed, it rots in a tea so I'm hoping for the best!
Dock is definitely something that can be used like Comfrey. Consider yourself lucky!
Yes! And my chickens LOVE it! I have curly dock. And I scattered it’s seeds around for more. I think it’s got potassium!
It's worth trying! I love the way dock grows.
I've been researching all afternoon... and it's kind of amazing! Apparently it's easy to harvest the seed and makes a gluten free flour... and, yep, it's good for the chickens too. (They're spoiled on purple deadnettle and hensbit right now.. probably why they aren't interested in the dock). I have a broadleaf known as blooddock, or bloodwort. Very interesting stuff! Glad to have it!
OK. I will till everything and only grow comfrey from now on.
Love this video
chop and drop, I use Poke Weed, Passion Flower, and Goosefoot.
I bought comfrey from Sam at Scrubland Farmz and he suggested I grow it in a semi shaded area. I asked if I should grow it with my ginger and he nodded. Probably letting you something you already know but just in case you do not… in North Central Florida as well lower Alabama it might grow well in shaded areas. I still need to find out for myself. It’s my first time growing comfrey let alone growing it for the first time in Florida. I only bought it because of this video. I was wondering if I can grow it in Florida.
lmao at the first thing on the "Comfrey" article at Mount Sinai hospital is to not consume it and to not put it on broken skin, but it works just fine for both of those
Because if you heal yourself naturally, you won't have to go to Mount Sinai hospital.
It's not patentable so there is no one to produce studies showing it's safe or effective. There is no money in it.
There is money to produce and distribute studies showing it's dangerous. Don't eat it as 50% of your diet.
Consume in small doses and for healing : it can work TOO well. Like mend bones before they are reset in the right position. Or heal the skin over some internal injury that needs surgery and then the doctors might miss it.
A strong plant, to be taken seriously
They are pill pushers for the Rockefeller Cartel. But comfrey is strong medicine.
It does have pyrolizidine alkaloids (like most/all plants in the borage family). It works in the short term at promoting healing, but excessive or chronic use is likely to cause serious liver damage. I wonder if there is a way to extract the allantoin (reputed active medicinal ingredient) while leaving the potentially dangerous stuff behind?
Cool, so when do we power cars with comfrey? That's all I want to know.
Fun, ThankQ
The best video ever created. ⭐
This video made me feel really comfrey, I mean comfy. The mind of a genius is a place I only want to visit, staying too long causes insanity.
you crack me up 🤣 I love your content and style, keep 'm coming!
I planted comfrey 2 years ago…last year it came back! Not sure if it’s back this year yet. Zone 3b up in 🇨🇦
In the shade zone 8b Florida. You don't have to chop and drop it, it will die down in the heat of summer then will come back. I've had it for years in my garden.
Mine has died down for several years and I've never seen it re-sprout as I always buy new Comfrey so for Florida it's not a perennial it's a plant that lives for a few months and then dies out when it gets hot by late spring (basically between now May 18th-June 1st I'll be surprised if I can keep any of my Comfrey alive here in 9B Sarasota, FL).
I've been struggling to grow comfrey in our very wet coastal PNW clay soil.
It grows so well where I am. 100 inches of rain per year! Western Oregon.
DtG and Rachel are amazing!
My Comfrey grows great here in the PNW Washington the pollinators sure love it too , wonderful medicine plant Look forward to your videos always learn something thank you n God bless David 🙏 😊 🇺🇸
LMAO... you're too much.. I love this channel.
Red clover salve works best for deep wounds comfrey is better for surface wounds because comfrey heals the top surface so fast.
I love comfrey for medicinal herb and mulch
You crack me up! I can’t grow comfrey either. I also can’t grow potatoes but I keep trying! And now I’m trying corn for the hundredth time. I’m hoping to have better luck since trying the lasagne garden method! I’m in zone 10a so we shall see! 🙏🙏🙏
Plantain grows well out here .. we use that one for accelerating healing. We grow sweet potatoes well here, and the solanum tuberosa is hit and miss. When they grow well they grow WELL .. but I don't want to devote that much space for a sometimes crop.
I am with you. I throw everything in the ground if it grows it grows if it doesn’t. Oh well. Best advice for gardening, some Will some won’t so what keep it moving.