We know that all dead vegetation should be removed from garden and
allotments, as these harbour slugs and snails. But what about cut nettles?
We know that slugs avoid nettles. We also know that nettles (when soaked in
a bucket of water) produce valuable nutrients.

So anyone have any info on how long, cut nettles retain their sting? Who
wants to be a guinea-pig? Don't look at me -

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
The message from "Bertie Doe"contains these words:

We know that all dead vegetation should be removed from garden and
allotments, as these harbour slugs and snails.

It also harbours and attracts useful predators.

I collect vast quantities of assorted dead vegetation and lay a 6 "
mulch of it on the soil
to rot down. Birds spend a lot of time fossicking in it for food. I
don't have a slug or snail problem.

But what about cut nettles?
We know that slugs avoid nettles. We also know that nettles (when soaked
in
a bucket of water) produce valuable nutrients.

So anyone have any info on how long, cut nettles retain their sting? Who
wants to be a guinea-pig? Don't look at me -

After you cut them, by the time the leaves go limp due to dehydration
there's very little sting.
But that hardly matters; just wear clothes and gloves when cutting
fresh nettles and you won't get stung.
When I had access to a neighbours acre of nettles I used to cut vast
quantities for mulch, composting (very good activator) and making
liquid fertiliser.

Thanks Janet, my wife thought of it as a deterrent against slug&snail
attacks on her late dahlias, which are just coming thru'. There are masses
of nettles on the unused allotments, behind the house. My only concern would
be, if the cut nettles lost their sting after a couple of days, would the
non rotted mulch, become a habitat for S&S's.

What is meant by 'composting activator' BTW. I'm interested as I ordered one
of those DEFRA compostors from the council. One month later, still not
arrived. :-(

Bertie Doe wrote:


What is meant by 'composting activator'


It is a source of nitrogen to help feed the bacteria to help then get
established and multiply quickly in the compost. Nettles are a good
source. You can also buy some granules called Garrota. Personally I use
pee which is free and plentiful and does a better job.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In message , David in Normandy
writes
Bertie Doe wrote:
What is meant by 'composting activator'

It is a source of nitrogen to help feed the bacteria to help then get
established and multiply quickly in the compost. Nettles are a good
source. You can also buy some granules called Garrota. Personally I use
pee which is free and plentiful and does a better job.

We had a similar discussion here many years ago and I can't remember
whether or not the pee made the compost smell of ammonia before the
rotting down process has got underway. I assume it doesn't. We also
had a discussion when Jane Ransom was here about the possibility of
ladies peeing on the compost as easily as men. I wonder where Jane is
these days?
--
June Hughes

"June Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , David in Normandy
writes
Bertie Doe wrote:
What is meant by 'composting activator'

It is a source of nitrogen to help feed the bacteria to help then get
established and multiply quickly in the compost. Nettles are a good
source. You can also buy some granules called Garrota. Personally I use
pee which is free and plentiful and does a better job.

We had a similar discussion here many years ago and I can't remember
whether or not the pee made the compost smell of ammonia before the
rotting down process has got underway. I assume it doesn't. We also had
a discussion when Jane Ransom was here about the possibility of ladies
peeing on the compost as easily as men. I wonder where Jane is these
days?
--
June Hughes


Thanks both, I have used Garrota before, but pee and nettles is obviously
free. Just did a google and got
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/orga...compost_pf.php
down the page, the author suggests 20:1 water to pee dilution, so a little
'goes a long way'.
Reference nettles as an activator, would this be fresh nettles or nettles
soaked until they pong a bit?

..

On Jun 17, 3:19*pm, June Hughes
wrote:
In message , David in Normandy
writesBertie Doe wrote:
* What is meant by 'composting activator'

It is a source of nitrogen to help feed the bacteria to help then get
established and multiply quickly in the compost. Nettles are a good
source. You can also buy some granules called Garrota. Personally I use
pee which is free and plentiful and does a better job.

We had a similar discussion here many years ago and I can't remember
whether or not the pee made the compost smell of ammonia before the
rotting down process has got underway. *I assume it doesn't. *We also
had a discussion when Jane Ransom was here about the possibility of
ladies peeing on the compost as easily as men. *I wonder where Jane is
these days?
--
June Hughes

I had an email from her last week, she is well and very busy with
other stuff.

Judith

On 2009-06-17 16:00:31 +0100, "Bertie Doe" said:


"June Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , David in
Normandy writes
Bertie Doe wrote:
What is meant by 'composting activator'

It is a source of nitrogen to help feed the bacteria to help then get
established and multiply quickly in the compost. Nettles are a good
source. You can also buy some granules called Garrota. Personally I use
pee which is free and plentiful and does a better job.

We had a similar discussion here many years ago and I can't remember
whether or not the pee made the compost smell of ammonia before the
rotting down process has got underway. I assume it doesn't. We also
had a discussion when Jane Ransom was here about the possibility of
ladies peeing on the compost as easily as men. I wonder where Jane is
these days?
--
June Hughes


Thanks both, I have used Garrota before, but pee and nettles is
obviously free. Just did a google and got
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/orga...compost_pf.php
down the page, the author suggests 20:1 water to pee dilution, so a
little 'goes a long way'.
Reference nettles as an activator, would this be fresh nettles or
nettles soaked until they pong a bit?

Chuck them on and let them add their nitrogen. You can make a nettle
liquid fertiliser by leaving a bucketful to 'stew' in water for a
couple of weeks and then diluting it about 10 to 1 to water onto your
plants. The diluted feed is roughtly the colour of tea. It IS a smelly
business so put it somewhere out of the way of open doors and windows!
I'm told that a stronger dilution - if that makes sense - is a good
insecticide but have never tried it.

--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Chuck them on and let them add their nitrogen. You can make a nettle
liquid fertiliser by leaving a bucketful to 'stew' in water for a couple
of weeks and then diluting it about 10 to 1 to water onto your plants. The
diluted feed is roughtly the colour of tea. It IS a smelly business so
put it somewhere out of the way of open doors and windows! I'm told that
a stronger dilution - if that makes sense - is a good insecticide but have
never tried it.


Thanks Sacha, I'll dig out the heavy-duty gloves and give it a try this
w/end.

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:59:42 +0100, Bertie Doe wrote:

There are masses
of nettles on the unused allotments, behind the house.

Unused allotments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It doesn't make the compost smell of ammonia. However, it does make a run-off that is quite agricultural in smell until a few weeks to months after the last addition of urine. I note that this is probably only when there's partially anaerobic activity. Any nasty smell in the finished product is completely neutralised 24 hours after exposure to open air.

"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:59:42 +0100, Bertie Doe wrote:

There are masses
of nettles on the unused allotments, behind the house.

Unused allotments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Out of the 20 allotments, 5 are unused/overgrown. I own one and rent half of
another with a neighbour. Our row of terraced houses were built in 1842 for
miners (tin, copper and stone quarries). Each house had its own 120' x 15'
allotment plus at the end of each back garden had a piggery. Nowadays, some
people buy the house but don't want to buy the allotment, so this sometimes
gets sold separately to someone in the nearby village (Liskeard)

One of my neighbours, overtime has purchased an additional 3 allotments and
rents another (rotavator job). Sadly most of the piggeries have gone and
have become garages or hard-standings. Last September there were 3, but the
best of the 3 (pictures 1 and 2) has now been demolished.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/d...t=f0bbadc3.pbw

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Bertie Doe" contains these words:

Reference nettles as an activator, would this be fresh nettles or nettles
soaked until they pong a bit?

.I use fresh; the soaked kind REALLY pong.

Janet.

Thanks I'll try both methods, fresh and soaked. My wife is joining in the
nettle fun and yesterday made some nettle and potato soup. Quite nice and
fairly filling, if you like the taste of spinach. The following recipe makes
6 portions, so she used half the ingredients :-
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/ac...nettlesoup.asp
cooks tip : simmer the pots for 10 mins, but only simmer the nettles for 5
mins.
: 1/4 lb of nettles, fills half a s/mkt carrier bag.

Bertie

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Bertie Doe" contains these words:


One of my neighbours, overtime has purchased an additional 3 allotments
and
rents another (rotavator job). Sadly most of the piggeries have gone and
have become garages or hard-standings. Last September there were 3, but
the
best of the 3 (pictures 1 and 2) has now been demolished.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/d...t=f0bbadc3.pbw

Pity you can't get some pigs in there to clear the overgrown
allotments. They will reduce a jungle to
fertilised weedfree dug soil in just a few months.

Janet

You'd probably need a licence, which may be difficult to get. A couple of
goats would do the job, but they wouldn't reach 200 lb and fill a deep
freeze. -

Bertie Doe wrote:
"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:59:42 +0100, Bertie Doe wrote:

There are masses
of nettles on the unused allotments, behind the house.

Unused allotments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Out of the 20 allotments, 5 are unused/overgrown. I own one and rent
half of another with a neighbour. Our row of terraced houses were
built in 1842 for miners (tin, copper and stone quarries). Each house
had its own 120' x 15' allotment plus at the end of each back garden
had a piggery. Nowadays, some people buy the house but don't want to
buy the allotment, so this sometimes gets sold separately to someone
in the nearby village (Liskeard)
One of my neighbours, overtime has purchased an additional 3
allotments and rents another (rotavator job). Sadly most of the
piggeries have gone and have become garages or hard-standings. Last
September there were 3, but the best of the 3 (pictures 1 and 2) has
now been demolished.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/d...t=f0bbadc3.pbw

What a shame to destroy them