Make your own comfrey feed

this organic liquid fertiliser is simple to make, and you can use it to feed all your crops.
Time to do: late spring-summer

Comfrey liquid feed is a marvellous all-round fertiliser that can be made cheaply and conveniently from home-grown plants. Although liquid feeds like this one don't last long in the soil, they do give plants a valuable boost in summer when growth is at its strongest.

Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) is a lowmaintenance, ground-covering perennial that will romp its way through poor soils and can become rather invasive if not kept in check. This makes it perfect for hard cropping and putting on the compost heap, or using as a liquid feed.

To make liquid comfrey feed, gather handfuls of comfrey leaves and place them in a hessian or net bag, then steep in a water butt or large bucket of water for a couple of weeks. The resulting liquid is dark, oily and very smelly, but full of potassium. It can be diluted in a watering can to feed your crops at a rate of one part comfrey liquid to ten parts water.

TIP If you don’t have access to any comfrey. use nettles to make a feed that is equally nutritious and beneficial.