READER’S QUESTION

I’VE begun to go organic and have been advised to plant comfrey. What is comfrey and why is it beneficial? Mr. B. Headley

COMMON comfrey, Symphytum officinale, is a long-lived perennial belonging to the forget-me-not family. Large hoary leaves accompany tall stems carrying tubular flowers in curving clusters in shades of purple, dirty pink or creamy white. Comfrey is valued because the excessively deep roots can tap the subsoil for essential minerals. Organic growers like to make comfrey ‘tea’ — a liquid plant feed made by chopping fresh leaves, packing them into a bucket topped up with water and allowing them to rot. Rotted comfrey leaves help to enrich compost.