Topic: Nettles, nettles and more nettles

[Borlotti]

Oh bother me, spent hours today at the allotment, picking nettles for compost and some for nettle feed, then thought why not earn some money and sell lovely bunches of nettles, and also lovely bunches of marestail.  Thought it was too good to be true.  I thought you kept some nettles on the plot for the butterflies, but correct me if I am wrong.

[grawrc]

Borlotti I have a "wild garden" beyond my real back garden - it is an access path to the back of our terraced houses. That is where I plant the things I buy that turn out to be too invasive for the garden. Since they are mainly planted on top of a drystane d**e they lose a lot of their vigour and become pretty acceptable.
Anyway what I actually wanted to say was that I have a self-sown buddleia there to attract the butterflies, a clump of nettles for them to lay their eggs and a large dock plant for when I forget the nettles are there!!

[pumkinlover]

Having seen what the caterpillars (Peacock I think) do to the nettles it's worth waiting for. They stripped every leaf off a clump on our site! all in a couple of days :D

[shirlton]

We grow a patch for the nettle brew. Have just put one on today. We don't cut the nettles right back so the butterflies will be ok

[Gadget]

Shirl, what is the benefits of nettle brew?and do you just steep it in hot water or is a bit more complicated that?

I love butterflies not cabbage whites but any other are welcome, on surveying my plot I'm going to dig up the ones round the edge and leave the ones by the compost heap as it has seem to stop everyone else dumping stuff on it  ;)

[Borlotti]

I filled an old bucket up with nettles and then poured cold water, from the water tank at the allotment and then left it for 2 or 3 weeks.  Then I diluted it (to make it look like weak tea) I was told, or think it is 1 part nettles, 10 parts water.  Will try this on half of my cauliflowers, broccoli to see if they do better than the ones that just get water.  Nettles are great and one neglected site (next to mine) is covered in them.  There is lots of information about nettles, feed, butterflies and other uses on the web.

[Dandytown]

Is the nettle feed likely to be high in mainly nitrogen?  I ask as I was considering when best to feed pumpkins, Cucs and tomatoes etc with it so that I time it with the needs of the plant.  I read somewhere that too much of the wrong element at the wrong time can stimulate growth of foliage over fruit.

[goodlife]

Nettle tea works same as comfry tea..it has all the elements but is usually used as general feed sligtly higher with potash than nitrogen..so ideal for toms etc.. ;)
To enhance and make it really 'wholesome' feed I always add drop of seaweed liquid as well..

[Borlotti]

Just looked up on the internet and nettles were used to make tablecloths and sheets in Scotland.  Widely used by the German army in First World War when there was a shortage of cotton.  It is a very versatile plant, used in medicine and in soup and can be cooked as a green veg.  Must get some buddleia for the butterflies.  Best get off this computer and go and pick some more nettles.

[Dandytown]

think I might be able to get away with supplying nettle seeds in the 2011 Seed Share?  ;D

[Gadget]

Just looked up on the internet and nettles were used to make tablecloths and sheets in Scotland.  Widely used by the German army in First World War when there was a shortage of cotton.  It is a very versatile plant, used in medicine and in soup and can be cooked as a green veg.  Must get some buddleia for the butterflies.  Best get off this computer and go and pick some more nettles.

Have to say there is quite a bit on the internet re nettles even a book on 101 uses, not sure my interest will go that far, however, may be very useful in the pub quiz.  :)

[shirlton]

We just put a stuffed net bag in the buttof cold water and when it starts to smell(about a fortnight) We use about 6 to 1 dilution or about.

[lottie lou]

doh, been thinking of all the things I was going to do with my nettles until I realised that they aint nettles but thistles.  Can you use them the same way as nettles.

[poppie1]

my old grandad always used to pee on them? however i wouldn't recommend this on a sunny sunday afternoon at the allotment!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

They like nitrogen, so they probably love being pissed upon.

[lincsyokel2]

not to mention nettle wine................

[Gadget]

We just put a stuffed net bag in the buttof cold water and when it starts to smell(about a fortnight) We use about 6 to 1 dilution or about.

Shirl,  is your nettle feed 1/6 to gallon? and is it good for everything, or just certain plants?
 :)

[gordonsveg]

In todays paper latest "trendy" food is nettles,maybe we can sell them all our spare ones.

[Chrispy]

On one of the 'Country House Rescue' programs, there was a guy who grew nettles around fruit bushes.
The idea was they kept birds off the bushes, but when you want to harvest you just strim the nettles and then harvest your fruit.

I have been mulling over this idea, but don't know how to keep them in check, and they seem to flower very early, and I don't want to be sending seed over others peoples plots.

Anybody else heard or even tried this?