Comfrey Plants

[Digmeplot]

Could anyone give me advice on when to plant out my Comfrey plants. At the moment they are in the Greenhouse.


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[bario1]

Mine didn't come up till abour March last year, planted them out in June or something! Not sure how those'll cope with a heavy frost, hopefully someone with more experience will have a better idea....

[BertieFox]

You usually plant out comfrey in the form of root cuttings; those large fleshy roots will start sprouting in the spring unless you have allowed them to shrivel up in storage. As long as the ground isn't frozen solid or under six feet of water, I would plant them now. They are completely frost resistant. I couldn't stop them growing in the UK, but the drier climate here means they aren't worth growing as I don't get any more of that luxuriant top growth so good for masses of compost or comfrey liquid. So instead I have to use nettles, which are much more painful to handle!

[rustylady]

Are your plants from seed? If so, when did you sow them?

Comfrey is a hardy perennial but frost will kill new leaves, so I wouldn't plant them out until you're past risk of frost.

[PyreneesPlot]

Mine does well, but it is wet bit of France, but as all the top growth dies right back in the winter you might be better waiting. As RL says :-)

[sammy_roser]

I had some small comfrey plants on the patio that I planted in pots in the summer from root cuttings. All the leaves have died in the frost. Hope they grow again.

[datz]

Planted 10 new plants in late spring last year and made a couple of cuts off them before they died back after snow and frost. They were growing so well that I'm sure they will come back. Protect your plants and plant out after all danger of frost has passed.

[Paulieb]

Are they from seed? I'd be reluctant to keep them if they are.

You really want the sterile strain (bocking 14) which won't seed everywhere.

The roots will likely survive outside now but I'd be tempted to keep those in your greenhouse and use the foliage in May and then plant them out with a coupl of leaves.

[ancee]

I got a big root from a friend. My OH put it on a patch of soil, then forgot about it. I saw it weeks later. We'd had snow and everything I quickly dug a hole and shoved it in where it'd been left and It went mad! We cut it back once the flowers had faded, and put the leaves on the heap, then it resurged again, we cut it back for the second time and away it went for a third! Mad, crazy plant that it is, it took a battering and complete neglect but it's brilliant!