nettles

[Salina]

There are an absolute forest of nettles in the garden, so rather than just chopping them down and throwing them in the dyke, is there anything I could do with them?
I've heard of making them into tea etc, but I don't know if there are more than one type of nettles and don't want to poison myself lol.

[TEB]

You could make a tea out of it, a soup and a fertilizer (probably more uses), I have only ever used it to make a fertilizer and to threaten my siblings

[shirley]

I have made nettle soup and it is very nice. You only want the young shoots and a good pair of gloves

[TEB]

I have made nettle soup and it is very nice. You only want the young shoots and a good pair of gloves

I might as well say it because you can bet someone else will, never seen a nettle soup recipe with gloves in

[Flummery]

They say it's a sign of good growing ground - nettles grow profusely on old midden sites!

[Hazel at the Hill]

All I know is that they are popping up all over the Hill and they don't 'alf slow down your weeding by the seedlings! I can't hand weed/thin seedlings with gloves on (too hamfisted) and can't get in too close with the hoe (ditto!) so they are not my fave plant at the moment!

[JennieAtkinson]

I've learnt to live with alot of mine. They are super for attracting butterflies.

But nettle tea (for your plants) is well worth doing. Got three bottles on the go at the moment.

[Madasafish]

Have a large bowl of nettle tea in greenhouse. The smell! Makes cow dung seem pleasant.

[terrier]

I started some nettle tea yesterday and it's started to smell already. The nettle tea that you drink always seems pretty tastless to me.

[Two_Sheds]

I crop mine and put on compost heap as an activator.

The Romans apparently used to rub themselves with nettles to warm themselves up in our chilly climate.

[JennieAtkinson]

I have made my "tea" this year in the large plastic milk cartons (1.5 litres?) and have them standing at the rear of the polytunnel. I haven't smelt them so far.

PS The idea was not mine but another grape on another thread earlier this year. So if it was YOU - then thankyou!

[terrier]

I've just filled a dumpy bag with nettles from my place and there's plenty more where they came from. I can't get them all in my daleks so I mix them with grass cuttings in an open pile in a secluded corner of the garden. Mixed with a few layers of equipoo, they soon disappear.

[HeyWayne]

Some of the nettles at the side of my house are about 9ft tall! I'm 6ft 7 and I don't think I can reach the tops of them! Must be darned good graound there! I might make some of this soup/tea/fertiliser stuff, Gawd knows I've got a plentiful supply of nettles.

Now, if I could just find my ladder....

[Flummery]

You sound like my lad - he's 6' 7" too. I must have kept him under that bucket for too long!

[Salina]

Is this nettle tea stuff supposed to be good for helping to grow better veg?
wouldn't mind trying it if anyone has the ''recipe'' lol.
thanks!