[shokkyy]

T&M have comfrey seeds, I don't mind waiting for it to grow but is that the best way to grow it or is it best from cuttings? If the latter, do any of the garden centres sell them or do I have to buy it from online?

Can anyone suggest where I can get some?

[Snoop]

John has a fantastic piece on comfrey at:

http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/comfrey/index.php

He gives advice and a link on where to get roots. By the sound of it, growing from seeds is a no-no unless you want your plot to be overtaken by comfrey.

[AlotArds]

You can get Bocking 14 from that well known auction site, E something. Just follow instructions, remember once in it will be hard to move - good luck

[shokkyy]

Thanks for those suggestions. Just one thing - this stuff isn't toxic to livestock, is it? I ask the question because I just saw a note on a advert for the stuff saying it was toxic to liver, which sounds a bit like ragwort. If it is harmful to livestock I couldn't plant it because I'm surrounded by pastureland that's full of sheep and horses.

[AlotArds]

I can't answer that honestly, however I don't think Bocking 14 is a danger. I'm sure one of the people with the wisdom will add something.   

[shokkyy]

I just found an information leaflet at the link posted earlier, and it's actually a bit contradictory. In one section it says what a good livestock feed it is, but in another section it says comfrey tea contains a substance that causes cancer in rats and that it has been implicated in liver disease. Hmm.

[Cazzy]

I read quite a bit on it and decided in the end that I would use it.  Its one of those things you need to look into yourself and make an informed decision.

From what I remember, the rat experiment, caused a bit of a fuss because the rats used were between 2 and 6 weeks old and, many felt that the experiment was bound to show adverse reactions in animals so young.

Sometimes, if you can be bothered (I haven't ...yet) its a good idea to check who is funding some of these experiments.......... the outcome usually benefits the guys putting up the money, not that i'm accusing the fertilizer industry of anything 

[Stevens706]

If you have an allotment, just ask around, one of your fellow allotment holders will be happy to dig you a piece up, it grows like mad once established. It will be showing through the ground soon.

[shokkyy]

I read quite a bit on it and decided in the end that I would use it.  Its one of those things you need to look into yourself and make an informed decision.

From what I remember, the rat experiment, caused a bit of a fuss because the rats used were between 2 and 6 weeks old and, many felt that the experiment was bound to show adverse reactions in animals so young.

Sometimes, if you can be bothered (I haven't ...yet) its a good idea to check who is funding some of these experiments.......... the outcome usually benefits the guys putting up the money, not that i'm accusing the fertilizer industry of anything 

If it was just me, I wouldn't worry about it at all. But it's somebody else's livestock I'd be putting at risk, if there was a risk. So for that reason I'd need to be sure before I planted it next to a hedgeline bordering with a field full of livestock.