Hi, I'm CP Knerr, founder of First Fruit Farm in Western NY State. We bought 50 Bocking 14 root cuttings back in 2018 from another grower in NY State and planted them out along fencelines and under fruit trees. I've been growing what I'd call permaculture plants (comfrey, ribes, berries, trees, etc.) since 2003 when we first moved to our 74-acre property. Currently, I'm working toward my Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) to formalize the knowledge I've gained through hands-on experience.
Since we have so much going on at our farm, sometimes things get neglected, and this comfrey was no exception. Unlike many of the other neglected plants, however, this comfrey not only survived, but it thrived under the neglect and was always coming back. Not only did it come back, it also allowed me to launch a very successful online offering on Etsy as well as locally from our farm. We've shipped over 1,000 plants this year alone to gardeners across the United States in various forms: crowns, root cuttings, potted plants, and comfrey plugs.
At First Fruit Farm, we now maintain over 200 feet of linear rows of comfrey plants and have established comfrey around dozens of fruit trees. Of our 74 acres, we're using about 10 for permaculture projects and grazing, with the balance being rented crop land or native swamp/woods.
Over the years, I've used comfrey for so many things around our place: chicken & pig feed, living mulch, composting worm feed, in compost, comfrey tea, and as a rhizome barrier to keep weeds from taking over our garden beds. Each time, this plant has been up to the task and then some.
We'd like to share what we've learned with you and pass on these incredible plants so you can also start your comfrey journey!
What Our Customers Say
"Absolutely over the moon! You can tell how much care the seller puts into shipping these plants. They sent detailed instructions on planting and they even sent bonus worm castings for tea!! Can't say enough incredible things, I'm so happy with these plants!"
"SO HAPPY WITH MY ORDER! I ordered 50 comfrey crowns from Charles at FirstFruitFarm and i am beyond satisfied. Packed and organized so well in the box, and the crowns look so healthy. He also threw in some bonus root cuttings that are beautiful! Also happy to hear Charles moistens everything with EM-1 prior to shipping. Look it up if you're not familiar. I am a big believer in brewing and using EM-1 on our farm, garden, orchard, chicken coop, in the household, and everywhere else. Anyways, my new comfrey crowns are beautiful and I'll be carpet bombing the fruit orchard with them over the next couple days. Such a beautiful and beneficial plant! Thanks Charles!"
