Urtica dioica
Nettle
Common names: Stinging Nettle, Great Nettle
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Great Nettle (Urtica dioica) is more than just a weed, its young shoots are a spinach‑like, mineral‑rich vegetable, its leaves make a strong tea, and its compost can fertilize half a garden bed. A wild patch of nettles also serves as a nursery for butterfly caterpillars.
Care instructions
Provide a separate, nitrogen‑rich, moist area in the garden, as it spreads readily via root runners. Wear gloves when harvesting and cut off the upper shoot tips before flowering. For compost, mix one kilogram of fresh plant material with ten liters of water and allow it to ferment for about two weeks.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, moist, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Notes from real gardens
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From the magazine
Making your own plant feed: nettle, comfrey and horsetail
One kilo of greenery to ten litres of water: how to turn nettle, comfrey and horsetail into fertiliser and plant tonic, how far to dilute, and how to take the stink out of the barrel.
Wild Herb Cooking in Spring: Nine Edible Herbs on Your Doorstep
Dandelion, nettle, wild garlic and six more wild herbs grow right outside your door in spring. Here is how to harvest them young and mild, tell the toxic look-alikes apart, and know where not to gather.
Compost That Won't Rot: Find the Cause and Get Decomposition Going
When your compost heap just rots into slime instead of turning to humus, it's almost always one of four usual causes. Here's how to make the diagnosis, kick-start decomposition with turning and a nettle starter, and avoid the classic mistakes.