What Are Dynamic Accumulator Plants?

Ever wonder how some plants seem to improve your garden soil just by being there? That’s the idea behind dynamic accumulator plants. These are plants that naturally pull minerals and nutrients from deep in the ground and store them in their leaves and stems. When you cut these plants back or let them die down, the nutrients are released into the topsoil, right where your other plants can use them.

What Exactly Is a Dynamic Accumulator?

Dynamic accumulators are plants with deep roots that tap into underground nutrient stores. They bring up things like calcium, potassium, nitrogen, and magnesium — nutrients your garden plants love but can’t always reach. These helpful plants then store those nutrients in their foliage. When you mulch with their leaves or let them compost, you're effectively feeding your garden from within.

While gardeners and permaculturists have used this idea for decades, only recently have researchers started to study it scientifically.

Science Meets Soil

Here are a few key studies and resources you can explore:

• Unadilla Community Farm Research (2020–2021): This study cataloged over 340 plants that concentrate specific nutrients. It also created a searchable database so you can find the right plant for your needs.

• Cornell Small Farms Program: This report looks at how these plants can be used to recycle nutrients and build healthy soil.

• Oregon State University Extension: Discusses the basics of permaculture and mentions the potential of nutrient-accumulating plants.

• Scientific Study on Comfrey: This paper backs up the claim that comfrey is especially good at mining minerals.

Popular Dynamic Accumulator Plants

Here are some favorites that work in a variety of climates and gardens:

Plant	What It Brings Up	Why Gardeners Love It
Comfrey	Potassium, calcium, phosphorus	Great mulch, fast grower
Nettles	Nitrogen, iron, calcium	Boosts compost, makes great tea
Yarrow	Phosphorus, potassium, copper	Attracts pollinators
Dandelion	Calcium, potassium, magnesium	Deep taproot, soil breaker
Alfalfa	Nitrogen, calcium, iron	Fixes nitrogen, improves soil
Borage	Potassium, calcium	Bee magnet, fast grower
Chicory	Potassium, calcium, phosphorus	Deep-rooted, hardy and tough

How to Use These Plants in Your Garden

You don’t need fancy techniques, just a bit of know-how. Here are four simple, effective ways to use dynamic accumulators in everyday gardening:

Chop and Drop

This is exactly what it sounds like: cut back your dynamic accumulator (like comfrey, yarrow, or borage) and drop the leaves and stems right where they grew, especially around vegetable beds. This forms an instant mulch layer, which helps suppress weeds, feeds the soil as it breaks down, and retains moisture. You can repeat this process several times a season with fast-growing plants like comfrey.

Compost Booster

Toss the leaves and trimmings of these nutrient-packed plants into your compost pile. Since they contain high levels of minerals like calcium, potassium, and nitrogen, they act as a natural fertilizer boost. This helps balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in your pile and speeds up decomposition. Nettles and alfalfa are particularly good at heating up the compost.

Soil Softener
Some plants, like dandelion, chicory, and comfrey, have strong taproots that drill down into hard or compacted soils. As they grow, they loosen up the earth, improve drainage, and make space for beneficial soil organisms. When these roots eventually die, they leave behind natural pathways that help water and air move through the soil.

Companion Planting

Grow dynamic accumulators alongside your veggies or fruit trees to help attract pollinators (especially with yarrow and borage), repel pests (borage near tomatoes is a classic trick), and improve nutrient availability in the root zone. Think of them as living support systems, enhancing the growth and resilience of your main crops just by being there.

Final Thoughts

Dynamic accumulator plants are an easy, natural way to feed your garden and improve soil health over time. They're not magic—but they are powerful allies. With more research popping up to support what some gardeners have known for years, it’s a great time to give these plants a try. Start simple. Plant a little comfrey or yarrow, and see how your garden responds!

10 Winter Garden Activities to Help Pass the Off-Season

Photo credit: iStock/Alex Raths

10 Winter Gardening Activities to Help Pass the Off-Season  

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Nancy DeVault to Garden, Lifestyle
https://farmflavor.com/lifestyle/garden/winter-gardening-activities-to-help-pass-the-off-season/

Winter oftentimes brings a lull to lush gardens, but that doesn’t mean gardeners have to freeze all gardening activities during the season. From planning and maintenance to creative projects and skill-building, there are countless ways to keep plant passions in full bloom. Here’s a round-up of winter gardening activities to keep you busy until springtime.  

1. Evaluate Your Garden

Winter can be the ideal time to evaluate your garden’s performance over the past few seasons. Ponder 
what worked well and identify areas for improvement. Were there particular plants that thrived or unexpected issues with pests? Did you notice that you harvested an abundance of one type of vegetable and not enough of another?

Design (or redesign with lessons learned) a garden layout for the upcoming season. Whether you map out a plan via pen and paper or an app, strive to optimize your garden space.

 2. Start a Gardening Journal

Photo credit: iStock/CentralITAlliance

You know the common philosophy of “write what you’re passionate about?” Well, if you’re passionate about plants, start a gardening journal. The act of journaling in and of itself is beneficial, especially for one’s mental health, but a gardening journal can also serve as an action-oriented chronicle. Document planting dates, harvest yields and potential challenges, as well as your gardening goals for the future.

3. Start an Indoor Garden

 Photo credit: iStock/Yin Yang

Your happy place may be your outdoor garden during warmer months, but growing plants indoors can help ward off winter blues. Perhaps you’d benefit from an indoor herb garden conveniently placed on the windowsill of your kitchen. Go-to herbs like basil, thyme, parsley and mint can add a fresh element to seasonal stews and soups. Check out a few of the best herbs to grow in your windowsill and our indoor gardening guide for ideas. You can also maximize indoor gardening with microgreens. Experiment with nutrient-packed greens such as arugula, pea and radish microgreens, which grow quickly and can be harvested in just a few weeks.

4. Grow Houseplants

Photo credit: iStock/Christian Steinsworth

From hanging greenery to potted succulents, many garden enthusiasts incorporate houseplants into home décor, especially during wintertime. In addition to infusing natural, calming pops of color, research suggests this decorating choice boasts significant wellness benefits because houseplants can remove harmful air toxins to achieve a healthier environment.

Common houseplants include anthurium, peace lily, pothos neon, rubber plant, snake plant, tufted air plant, yucca cane and others. However, it’s important for pet owners to note that some plants are poisonous to pets, so do your research beforehand. See more: How to Care for Air Plants: A Complete Guide 

5. Do a Maintenance Check

 Photo credit: iStock/HT-Pix

Garden tools are a worthwhile investment and properly maintaining them is important. Winter may be the time to show your tools a little TLC. A few tasks to consider:

• Clean and sharpen blades. Remove dirt and sap from pruners, shears and shovels. A sharp blade makes gardening more efficient and protects plants from damage.

• Oil metal parts. This prevents rusting and prolongs the life of your tools.

• Organize your garden shed. Take inventory of your supplies and make a list of items to replace or restock.

• Repair fences and trellises. Strengthen support or repaint them to prevent weather damage.

6. Level Up Your Garden

Photo credit: iStock/Mkovalevskaya

Use winter months to work on improving garden infrastructure, such as building raised beds. Construct
new beds, then fill them with soil and compost come early spring and get growing. You can also spend the off season making plans for expanding your garden next season, such as ordering seeds you’ve never tried growing or learning how to grow a cut-flower bed.

See more: How to Compost

7. Focus on Soil Health

Winter is the perfect time to work on improving the health of your soil. Consider the following tasks:

• Test your soil. Winter is a great time to send a soil sample to a lab or use a DIY soil test kit. Understanding your soil’s pH and nutrient levels helps you prepare for spring planting.

Photo credit: iStock/tortoon

• Maintain your compost pile. Insulate it with straw or leaves to keep it active. If freezing temperatures halt decomposition, continue adding organic material, which will break down once the weather warms.

• Start a worm bin indoors. Vermicomposting is an efficient way to recycle kitchen scraps into rich, fertile compost for your garden.

See more: Soil 101: Why Is Your Garden’s Soil Health So Important?

 8. Prune Perennials

Photo credit: iStock/Olga Seifutdinova

Winter pruning improves the health of many plants and prepares them for vigorous growth in spring.

• Prune deciduous trees and shrubs. With the leaves gone, the structure of the plant is visible, making it easier to identify dead or crossing branches.

• Cut back perennials. Trim spent stems and foliage to tidy up the garden and reduce hiding spots for pests. Leave plants with seed heads, like coneflowers, for birds to enjoy.

• Protect tender plants. Mulch heavily or wrap sensitive plants, like roses, in burlap to shield them from harsh winter conditions.

See more: 11 Things You Can Grow in Your Winter Garden

9. Grow Your Gardening Knowledge

Photo credit: iStock/Mercedes Rancaño Otero

Winter offers extra time to dive into gardening education. Consider reading gardening books, magazines or blogs. Learn about new techniques or dive deeper into topics like organic pest control, native plants and more. Many gardening groups and organizations also host virtual events during winter. Look for local classes, online workshops or webinars to join. Or simply ask the experts. Pop into a garden shop and pick the brain of the nursery’s horticulturist. You never know what will bloom from a friendly conversation with a fellow garden devotee.

10. Get Creative

Photo credit: iStock/Oksana Aksenova

Winter is a good time for creative gardening-related crafts. When inspiration strikes:

• Make plant markers. Paint or engrave markers for spring planting.

• Create birdhouses or bee hotels. These can be installed in your garden to encourage pollinators and other beneficial wildlife.

• Repurpose old materials. Turn pallets into vertical planters or use jars for seed storage.

• Step up your stepping stones. A fun and functional creation can be a step in the right direction for gardeners.

By tackling these winter gardening activities and more, you can prepare for a thriving spring garden while enjoying this season’s unique opportunities. Happy gardening! 

Why Mulch? Conserve Water and Reduce Weeding

There are so many benefits to using mulch in your garden and landscape! Spreading a layer of mulch on top of the soil protects plants from extremes in temperature. It helps protect plant roots and crowns in winter. Use dark colored mulch in the spring to warm up the soil faster for warm-season crops. To protect plants from the heat of summer, use light colored mulch to lower soil temperature. A layer of mulch also allows soil to hold more water. Using organic mulches adds nutrients to the soil as they decompose making soil more fertile over time. Additional organic matter also makes soil easier to till and creates a better environment for growing vegetables.

Mulching correctly, to a depth of about four inches, also creates a barrier that helps to control weeds. It must be deep enough to keep sunshine from hitting the soil and germinating weed seeds. Another potential benefit of a well-mulched garden is increased yields. Fruits and vegetables are cleaner and less subject to rot when not in contact with soil. Rows can be closer together as there is less need to cultivate, possibly no need to cultivate at all! 

Mulching need not be expensive. You can mulch with materials found around your yard or garden. A light layer of dried grass clippings or shredded leaves can be used with caution. If applied too thickly, grass and leaves can form a mat that interferes with the movement of water and oxygen through the soil. Pine needles last a long time and are excellent mulches for acid-loving plants. Compost is the best organic mulch provided that the compost is “finished”, meaning the decomposition process is complete and no longer generating heat.

Mulch can be applied at any time and may need to be reapplied throughout the growing season. It is important to note that as organisms break down and decompose some mulches, such as hardwood bark, straw, or sawdust, soil nitrogen levels can become depleted which inhibits plant growth. You can compensate for this by mixing some composted material into the mulch, such as grass clippings. Be careful not to apply mulch too deeply as air may not be able to penetrate the mulch layer and result in oxygen depletion. At the end of the growing season, mulch can be tilled into the soil or simply left to decompose over the winter. However you decide to do it, with care mulch can improve life in the garden and the life of the gardener. Happy mulching!