[Kirpi]

Following several complaints (from nutrients-in-a-bottle gardeners) saying my organic methods can be smelt up by the tea room - I have removed my Comfrey and Nettle tea bins from the site and have a different approach in mind.

Imagine one bin with holes in the bottom fitting into an outer bin which is water tight. Now put a spacer in the bottom between the inner and outer bins so the inner one sits sligthly higher in the outer bin.

The Comfrey or Nettles are collected off the allotment and taken home to be chopped up into the box mower and the mowings are placed in the inner bin, a lid smaller than the bin sides placed on top and a weight placed on that.

In a couple of weeks what is pressed out of the decomposing biomass is a rich dark nutrient which can then be bottled and taken back up to the allotment to added to the plants during watering sessions. Far less smell and probably making a stronger nutrient liquor than the steeped (and smelly) tea.

[Jackypam]

So no water added at all?  How big are the bins?

[Aunt Sally]

There are some more designs here, Kirpi:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=4677

[JohnB47]

Kirpi, that's exactly what I've been doing for three years now. Works well and there is no noticeable smell nearby and in fact the liquor is not very smelly either once drawn off.  I have to hold it right up to my nose and sniff if I'm not sure if I have a bottle of comfrey tea or worm juice. If I did that with tea made the 'wet' way, I think I'd be dead by now. My bin is on site and there's no problem at all with smell.

It takes longer than the 'wet' method though. I've found that I'm making tea one year for using the next -takes at least two months to get any amount of juice, but it's much more concentrated.

Also, I just pull the stalks of comfrey off the plant and then wring it between my hands to produce around four inch bunches and drop those into the inner bin. Dont leave the stalks too long if you want to use the resultant sludge, say, when planting spuds out. Big long stringy lengths of part rotted stalk are difficult to handle. Breaking it up with a mower would solve that but I'm not sure if it's worth the bother.

[surbie100]

Kirpi, are you still using your comfrey pipe? I pinched the idea from one of your earlier diary entries, and while it seems to take a while to come through, it seems pretty good stuff.

I like the idea of a bin-inna-bin, will you let us know how you get on?

[BussinSpain]

I must say that comfrey is a wonder plant!  Since I started using comfrey tea earlier this year my veggies are looking much better than they did last year.  The smell is awfull though - but just like medicine, the worst it smells the better is is for you (or the veggies!)  I am now on my second barrel (an old 500 litre water storage tank)

[pdblake]

I use a large bucket with a lid on and a tap fitted, a bit of chicken wire in the bottom to stop the tap clogging up. I sit this in the back garden and top up with comfrey etc as and when and each year, at the start of the season I bottle it and take it up the plot. No smell, until you use the stuff and while you're bottling it of course

Don't see why the same couldn't work for a bin or waterbutt.

[Goosegirl]

Kirpi - I'm going to try that! Do you dilute it before feeding, and can it be used diluted as a foliar feed? Methinks you might have a little invention money-spinner here unless someone has already patented it.

[Aunt Sally]

It certainly needs diluting before use.  A lot of gardeners use it as a foliar feed but I personally wouldn't - just water it on the roots. 

Comfrey contains a toxic alkaloid and I prefer not to eat food that has been coated in it, low risk but not zero.

[surbie100]

It certainly needs diluting before use.  A lot of gardeners use it as a foliar feed but I personally wouldn't - just water it on the roots. 

Comfrey contains a toxic alkaloid and I prefer not to eat food that has been coated in it, low risk but not zero.

Didn't know that, thanks Aunty!

[Carollan]

Your tight fitting bins idea works,I have a large black bucket  sized bin fitted into a wash basin,with holes as you described.No water,that makes it all very smelly.

The lid on top of the leaves and nettles in fact isn't particularly tight at all,but the liquor runs into the bottom basin ,no flies,no smell,no mess,just pour it out every couple of days into a lemonade bottle and keep next to the watering can and water bins. Excellent stuff.

[Kirpi]

Thanks Aunt Sally. I'll look up those ideas.

To Surbie 100 - yes, still using the comfrey pipes, which work well, but I needed something a bit more large scale for this new project. I think about 25% of my allotment space is comfrey beds, clumps of stinging nettles and compost bins!

To Jackypam - the bins are not full dustbin size. Imagine two Been-and-Queued orange buckets; one inside the other - just slightly bigger than those!  - and no added water. The run-off is pure plant juice.

To John B47 - I take the comfrey (and stinging nettles) home and run the mower over them and press on the mowed product so I won't have stringy stems to worry about - might also speed the process up a bit as the leaves and stems will be well bruised and chopped up.

To Goosegirl: Definitely dilute it. If you Google it, suggestions are around 1:15 to 1:20 dilutions with water, so a little goes a long way.

did I miss anyone?

My wife thinks I'm a bit eccentric - but in a nice way!