Jon Paddy

The cuttings last a while if refrigerated (a month or two at least), but are best planted when fresh.

The horseradish is starting to come up! We are nearing the end of the planting season for this year.

Lots of horseradish roots this year! They will be $1 apiece this year (I have too many!), with a minimum order of 10 and $6 for S&H.

Hi everyone! I have a good supply of bocking 4 plants, and am phasing out of the bocking 14 variety. I found that the much-more-vigorous bocking 4 variety was better suited to all my needs (herbal medicine, animal feed, mulch/fertilizer). I have medium/large roots for sale for $0.85 apiece, or small roots available for $0.60 apiece, and shipping is $6 per approximately 100 cuttings (I fit in as many as I can into a small flat-rate box). The larger cuttings are best for applications where the cuttings need to get established more quickly (because someone wants quicker results, or irrigation is not consistent). Both sizes result in plants that produce leaf cuttings the first year in my Seattle, WA location, and after a year or so you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the plants grown from the different sized cuttings.

I typically sell comfrey in the early spring, or early fall to areas where there aren't substantial winter freezes. What is your climate like? If you expect winter freezes it may be best to wait until spring so the plants can be well established before winter. Also, they are more difficult to establish during the summer (have to keep the root cuttings moist).

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about raising or using comfrey. Good luck with your gardens this year!

Coming to the end of horseradish planting season, still have lots!

Coming up to the end of horseradish shipping season - my plants are starting to leaf out. Anybody else interested?

I still have a decent supply. I have a couple large pre-orders that I need to get through, so orders larger than 50 wouldn't be available for a few weeks so I can make sure I can meet people's needs who have already gotten a hold of me.

The best way to get a hold of me is to send me a PM if you are interested, and we can sort out the details. Thanks for your interest in comfrey!

Pete:

Sent you a PM, thanks for your interest!

Looks like I'm a little behind answering questions, below are my responses:


Jon Paddy wrote:Bocking 4
>More vertical, deep root structure
Bocking 14
>More spreading, shallow root structure ideal for areas of shallower soils, shallow water tables, or growing in large pots

I hate to be 'that guy' but could I ask where this info comes from? I thought I was pretty well-read on these 2, but haven't come across this at all.

Jon's Response: My conclusions came both from my personal observation, and that of other modern comfrey farmers. I'm pretty sure I also read about it in the following book (which is free!)
Hills, Lawrence D. Russian Comfrey: A Hundred Tons an Acre of Stock or Compost for Farm, Garden or Smallholding. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1953.
http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/01aglibwelcome.html

How long do the cuttings last before they need to be planted?

Jon's Response: They can last for months, but I recommend ordering them when you are about to plant. You can get a hold of me to put some on hold if you like.

Do I still have bocking 14 left? I'm also curious to know if comfrey attracts deer, and or rabbits?

Jon's Response: I only have a few bocking 14 plants I am keeping just in case, but am only selling bocking 4. I don't have wild deer or rabbits in my area, but my domestic rabbits love comfrey! I've heard of people saying that it is deer resistant, but I don't know from personal experience.

The plants should be spaced 18" to 24" apart, they get around 18" to 24" tall. Quite vigorous!