Nettle tea how to make it how good is it

[OllieMartin]

I don't have any nettles in my garden, adn Ilive in a city, so I went to the football stadium, which has a park around it, and found a secluded spot in somebushes to do some picking.
While armed with gloves and a netto carrier bag (nice and big), I was picking nettles when an odd looking guy walked past. This wasn't the kind of area where you go for a stroll, but the bit that confused me was, he didn't seem the least bit concerned what I was doing, he just nodded and said "hello". Now I'm more concerned what he was upto as he certainly wasn't nettle picking!

Just applied my nettle fertiliser, hoping for some good results.

[scarey55]

Thanks to two sheds I have started making nettle tea in milk cartons and I also use old fabric conditioner bottles too - the ones I use are 3 litres which is a good size.

[vikkib]

I haven't got any nettles in my garden either. I noticed a HUGE patch of them growing very close by. It's a patch of ground that is on the main road and has a low wall round it and houses three big old advertising billboards.

Have no idea who owns the land so just debating whether I could just go and help myself to some of the nettles. If not I will have to wonder a bit further afield with my bucket!

[BumbleB]

I have made a nettle brew as suggested here but I am not sure where (or what to look for) to get comfrey. Also is the herb borage beneficial as a brew as well?

[Sonata]

I made my first batch after reading about it here (on the 1st of May) and applied it yesterday. Made it in a large fabric conditioner bottle so it didn't smell...til I opened it and had a whiff to see what the fuss was about.

Gah! It was awful.

Made another batch in a 4 pint milk bottle yesterday too. We have a couple of patches of nettle that come under the fence from next door. I cut them down to make the nettle tea and keep DD from being stung by them.

[Llamas]

The smell also helps keep away pesky tomato pinching OHs

[harveymt]

Im just about to start a vegetable patch. It needs cleared and it is very overgrown with nettles, so I should be able to make up a good bit of this. A few quick questions.

If i cut the nettles back with a strimmer, do I put the whole plant in or just the leaves?

Does it matter how much nettle you use? Can you just put what ever you've got into a bottle and fill with water?

Once it's been left a while and you remove the nettles will the tea last for as long as you need it? I have a couple of large plastic drums which I could use to store it and just take out and dilute what I need.

Cheers.

[AmyRose]

I dont think you remove the nettles harvey?

I understood it to be a rotted down 'sludge' after a few weeks which you dilute?

I could be wrong Ive never made it myself (just reading up on some tips before i attempt it )

[taff]

don't think it makes much difference how many nettles you use, obviously not so many you can't add water... and you can use the whole thing. I dont tend to put the roots in. Leave the nettles in the water till they're good and dead [especially if you do put the roots in as well]. I chuck the sludge around any brassicas or anything that looks a bit yellow.
If you do have a barrel, the easiest thing is to keep chucking in the nettles, to top it up, empty the sludge occasionally, then top up again. That way you're keeping it 'fresh'. I'd make a new lot every year though, I noticed when I left the last milk jug for a while, it separated into nettle colour tea at the bottom and water at the top.