Stinging Nettle – 50 Seeds

Urtica dioica, often known as common nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a dioecious herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Male flowers and female flowers are generally borne on separate individual plants. Male flowers are often yellowish and Female flowers are generally greenish-white. The lifecycle of of the plant involves both sexual reproduction via seeds and asexual (vegetative) reproduction via its extensive rhizome system.

The plant has pointed leaves and can grow up to 2-4 meters tall. It is well known for it’s medicinal and culinary uses and has been grown, foraged, and harvested for thousands of years. Documented accounts of its use date as far back as 1200 BC, and its uses are widespread. Nettles are packed with nutrients. High in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and full of calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium, they are also a good source of protein.

Culinary Uses

• Used in soups and as a leafy green.
• Also used as a tea.

Medicinal Benefits

The root and above ground parts are used. It contains ingredients that might decrease swelling and increase urination. Stinging nettle is most commonly used for diabetes and osteoarthritis. It is also sometimes used for urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones, enlarged prostate, hay fever, and other conditions.

Growing Stinging Nettle

Indoor Sowing: Late Winter and Early Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring.

• Nettle does especially well on the edges of meadows, pastures, or streams where the soil stays moist but isn’t waterlogged.
• Surface sow seeds in flats in late winter or spring. Alternatively you can direct sow in Spring.
• Seeds are very tiny and require light for germination, so barely cover them with soil.
• Optimal soil temperature for germination is around 18-27°C.
• Keep soil moist until germination.
• Germination in about 14 -30 days.
• Transplant outdoors in early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked. Space seedlings about 8 inches apart.