[wcndave]

Hi, I already have 4 comfrey plants growing in a space between allotment, road and compost heaps, and the allotment has a wall between it and the area (up to 1m deep in ground wall).

However I have four more plants, and I would like to plant along a fence, on the edge of my garden.  I am also trying to make my garden lawn area feel a bit more natural and not have severe edges.

There is a big pile of "good earth" in the middle from when I built the house, which now just looks like a mound in my law as I never did anything with it. That can be ignored.

I was thinking, can I just plant my comfrey say 60cm from the fence, along the side?  Will it eventually get into the neighbour (my sister in law)'s garden?  How fast does the whole root clump expand?  See the red dots on the image where I was thinking to plant them.

Also, if I do this, can I just plant straight into the turf, or do I need to completely dig out a strip along the fence?  I really want to get these planted before the snows come!

[snowdrops]

Depends on what type of comfrey it is to be honest, Bocking 14 is the strain of comfrey recommended here in the uk as it has sterile seed. It will bulk up but is not as invasive as the other varieties. It is the seeds & subsequent seedlings that are a nuisance. If you don’t want it to escape into next door it might be worth putting a plastic barrier in on your side of the fence

[wcndave]

Depends on what type of comfrey it is to be honest, Bocking 14 is the strain of comfrey recommended here in the uk as it has sterile seed. It will bulk up but is not as invasive as the other varieties. It is the seeds & subsequent seedlings that are a nuisance. If you don’t want it to escape into next door it might be worth putting a plastic barrier in on your side of the fence

Sorry, I thought everyone was using Bocking 14!  Yes, that's what I have, however I don't really want it to encroach massively in to my garden either, from the border.  Not if it's going to be impossible to remove.

However, if the root block is getting slightly bigger over time, in the way that Rhubarb does, then it's probably no problem.

[wcndave]

Sorry, just wanted to close this one out, when you say "not as invasive", what we we talking about there.
For example, if I have one plant that in year 1 is taking up about a 1m diameter circle, what would I expect after 10 years?  2m? or 10m?

Also I think I should just be able to plant into the grass directly, however there might be a good reason not to!

[Aunt Sally]

It does not produce seeds but can spread if it’s roots are disturbed.

[wcndave]

It does not produce seeds but can spread if it’s roots are disturbed.

Right, so I guess my question is, if I just plant it around edge of lawn, nearish to a fence, and simply harvest it, does that count as disturbing, and how much is it likely to spread over a longish period of time?

[Aunt Sally]

It won’t spread much if the roots are not disturb the roots.

[cc]

It does not produce seeds but can spread if it’s roots are disturbed.

Right, so I guess my question is, if I just plant it around edge of lawn, nearish to a fence, and simply harvest it, does that count as disturbing, and how much is it likely to spread over a longish period of time?

It doesn't spread as such but looking at your previous posts I assume you mean grow wide enough to lean through the fence that borders your neighbour.
To stop that happening plant it far enough away so it doesn't. Or
Trim the leaves on the side near your neighbour.
Or harvest early. I find one lot of mine tends to fall over if I leave it long enough. Due to its location I always get two crops out of it. The second crop  tends to lean out further.

[wcndave]

It doesn't spread as such but looking at your previous posts I assume you mean grow wide enough to lean through the fence that borders your neighbour.
To stop that happening plant it far enough away so it doesn't. Or
Trim the leaves on the side near your neighbour.
Or harvest early. I find one lot of mine tends to fall over if I leave it long enough. Due to its location I always get two crops out of it. The second crop  tends to lean out further.

I am not too worried about it leaning on fence, that's my sister-in-law's garden, so it's all friendly - well - mostly...

We had a patch of horseradish, and I did nothing with it, and after a couple of years it had tripled the area it had taken over, and was really a massive pain to get out... Same with some Tansy that was left here.

It sounds like the comfrey will bulk, but not really spread, so I shall proceed as planned.  Thanks all!

[snowdrops]

No reason not to plant directly into the grass either as it will kill it around the plant eventually I would think as it stops the light

[wcndave]

No reason not to plant directly into the grass either as it will kill it around the plant eventually I would think as it stops the light

That felt likely the case, however I read a bit about making sure you "clear an area", so just checking.... It's gonna be somewhat wild anyway!