We lucked out a few years ago and a friend gave us a bunch of comfrey roots. Last year I planted two nice patches of it. I hope to get another one in up near the chickens this year. I've been wondering, could I dry that and store it up in burlap bags for winter feed for chickens and goats?

I'm about 8 hrs labor away from finishing up the tables and chicken runs in the greenhouse so that would give me a fair amount of room to spread the leaves out on the table tops. Thinking maybe a box fan on one end, blowing on the leaves would speed things up, then once dry, stuffing it into burlap bags and hang them from the trusses in the pole bldg. for use this winter. I've got one stand now thats about 20 x 5' and its ready for the first cutting, about 5' tall.

The other stand is kinda wimpy, about 2' x 40'. I'm growing it in composted leaves only. I'm thinking a shot of partly decomposed chicken manure mixed in with some finished compost would give it a boost. I'm a little concerned about burning the plants as chicken manures sposed to be pretty "hot" so I'm hoping mixing it with finished compost will "cool" it some.

Dumb ideas? Suggestions?

-- Anonymous, May 28, 2001

Answers

hi john, I think your chicken manure mixed with compost should work just fine (I personally have never been able to kill comfrey, even when I tryed). I have never tryed laying the leaves out to dry....I always hung them up so the air could go all around them. Let us know how it works out.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 2001

John... I dry comfrey on screens with no problem as long as it is one layer thick....

Like Diane... I have found that I like using crochet thread and running a needle through the stem... of course, this works great for small batches...

-- Anonymous, May 28, 2001

It sounds like you have a good plan, but consider the time it will take to turn each root several times per week until dried. Perhaps you could hang them?? That would eliminate all that labor. Once they are thoroughly dried, you can store them in just about anything.

The chicken manure is a wonderful idea!! Make sure that it is at least dried. You can use it straight if it is dried thoroughly, otherwise composting, as you mentioned is the best.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001