OK Tel here goes: It's not "Blocking" it's Bocking, named after the place it was bred in Bocking Essex by Laurence C. Hills at the Laurence Livermore research station (before it moved to Warwickshire), there's many varieties, Bocking numbers alone goes from 1-20! but there's no doubt many more natural varities. Two varieties are sterile, Bocking 4 & Bocking 14, both are hybrids of Russian Comfrey. 4 has higer protein & Phos, 14 has higher Potash also said to be more rust resistant (tho I've never had rust on any of mine), mine is all Bocking 4, urs looks like 14 to me but hard to tell from this vid, google some side by side pics to see, I think the seeding one of urs is creeping comfrey aka ornamental or dwarf comfrey, hard to say. I have Hills book, I can send you a link to d/l it if you like. I use a 15:1 dilution of leechate every 2 weeks, for no other reason than I use a pint jug in a 2 gal watering can, makes it easy, I've also used 8:1 but not seen any burn or difference tbh so I use it sparingly since I only make ~4 gal per year. I mix my comfrey 50/50 with Nettle since I researched and compared lists of minerals/nutrients for a lot of plants I have nearby and nettle/comfrey mix came out the best mineral balance (my main gardening goal is high nutrient density food!) I also use it in liquid IMO ferments on the theory it's better to have the nutrients tied up in soil microbiological life that will naturally become available to plants as they ask for it, than in raw ionic forms that can wash out of the soil. I also use a Comfrey poultice for sprains and bruises, it used to be called "Knitbone" since it aids bone fractures healing, it definately helps heal sprains faster, crush up a bunch of leaves and apply straight to the skin with a bandage over it, it's a bit prickly at first but that soon goes away. It propagates very easily from root cuttings 2" long, or division of the crowns, best done at the end of the season in autumn.
Hmm, I've heard gardening is good for the soul, but never the other way around, Terry! We have a wheelie bin with a dozen accidental potatoes-- we set an egg carton with our chitting potatoes on top of the bin and promptly forgot about it until it was too late! ~ Sandra
Good morning, Terry, from Windermere, Florida zone 9b USA I love watching you harvest goodies for Mrs.K on the 9th of July ❤🥔🥒🍅🍓 Count those weights ❤Peggy❤
Great harvest! We had roasted golden beets, bolero carrots, adirondack blue and kennebec potatoes ...sprinkled with lemon thyme all from the garden. So tasty.
Hi Terry, I have a small orchard, and I planted several years ago at the base of my fruit trees. Bocking 14 as the trees are benefiting from the nitrogen . I also make a tea with the comfrey to which I also add seaweed to. Stinks pretty bad but is a good boost for the veg.
Loo brush is the highlight of the day! Spuds are good too! Agree, if the liquid is too weak, not much difference, whereas a little more makes a good colour and the plants romp. If the frog likes sitting in the drip tray, you have it spot on! Struggling with my comfrey. Had it almost 4 years now. 15 plants reduced to one. I've netted it from the birds but the slugs ate the rest and they didn't regrow (add overzealous HRH with the mower to the horsemen of the apocalypse). The remaining one is getting a bigger plant, but it certainly isn't strong with a fair bit of rust. It might be the lack of topsoil because we have like a slatey, rocky mess underneath. Going to take root cuttings and pop the plants down by the rhubarb which is looking reasonable.
This is the first time I have tried growing comfrey. I bought 5 Bocking crowns and they absolutely shot off… until they all got powdery mildew. I have sprayed them with milk/water, they are in an area with lots of airflow, but there was no improvement. I have now cut them right back and will wait and see. They are also planted in slatey rocky soil, which I amended with compost and blood bone and fish when I planted them.
Thank you all, our last house we had super comfrey (clay soil and a damp area - here it is slightly acidic - I've had strong words with the blueberries) and loads of liquid. It's a challenge to be sure here! They've been mulched and weeded but the surviving one is in a corner and covered in weeds, yet standing taller and flowering. Hope it is getting big enough to take cuttings when it dies back down.
Hi Terry. Unfortunately, me and comfrey don't get along. I found that I am allergic to the plant laugh. Its always nice to bring a harvest from the garden. Do we want to see the toilet brush in action? If course we do giggle. I bet that cucumber was delicious. If you do have any giant celery seed spare, perhaps we can do a trade? Elaine 🌱
Hi Terry. I collect comfrey from a lane near to me, its been growing there since I was a kid. I'm now 65. I also have some small plants of white comfrey, growing in my garden and where my drive meets the side wall of my house. I soak some and put some under a weight for a stronger brew! Jersey royals from the shops no longer taste like they used to! My home guard first earliest do. But to be honest it's been a disappointing year for my earlies.
@fergusdangerfield156 it's nice to have a good supply from the verges and realistically you can never have too much. Thank you for sharing your methods and experiences. I will be planting my Christmas potatoes very soon using the saved potatoes harvested that day.
@@terrykingsallotmentgardening Ithanx mate. I have a couple of tubs of first earliest that I havnt harvested, I'm thinking of leaving them to see if they grow again! Don't know if they'll show for Christmas.
@@terrykingsallotmentgardening Just after some advice I've got some blueberry bushes in pots and the leaves have started to go brown yellow color checked the soil ph it's between 5.5 and 4.5 I did have them in full sun I water with rain water Don't no what's up with them
@MrLaking123 all our plants are suffering in some form or another, I have noticed that nearly all my North facing side of my fruit bushes have no fruit. Can't help with your blueberries.
Great video Terry, i am on video catch up again lol. I just throw all my comfrey into the 220 litre blue barrels, same with nettles, then just keep topping them up with comfrey, nettles or water, whatevers needed. I am now trying creeping thistle to see if that is any good as a liquid feed. You got a nice harvest to take home with you to Mrs K. Remember to keep the battery charged up mate. Kind regards to you and Mrs K ❤💙
Must be dead quiet 🤫 round there 😂. I have some borage but no comfrey as of yet. Do you chop and drop it too, I have a friend in the UK that wraps her seed potatoes in comfrey leaves when planting. Have a marvellous day, remember to actually put the battery in Mrs K walkie talkie 🤣🤣, Ali 🌞🇨🇦
@stephaniebryant2958 an old fridge, put it on in the summer and switch off on the cooler months, keep a close eye on them. The ones that I saved I this blog will be for my Christmas potatoes.
