Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?
--
"You are a seeker.
Delight in the mastery
Of your hands and your feet,
Of your words and your thoughts.
Delight in meditation and in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.
You are a seeker."

- Buddha in the Dhammapada -

ChrisC

In article , ChrisC ?@?.?
writes
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

Stinging nettles can be annuals or perennials but the more common type
seen is the perennial Urtica Dioica. They normally propagate themselves
naturally, but if you need to introduce them into your garden, that can
be done either by seeding in spring or by root division in any growing
season. Once they are established, they will re-grow each year and like
all other perennials, they will need to be controlled from spreading
more that you wish.

Though stinging nettles may seem very vigorous, they should not be cut
too hard or more often than three times annually, or they will cease to
thrive. Nettles are an excellent plant to have in the garden, they have
many culinary, medicinal and horticultural uses and their fibres are
used for making paper and linen. Have a look at the urg FAQ describing
nettle infusion at: http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/nettle.html
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

ChrisC wrote in message ...
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?
--

What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want them
in your garden.

Bob

"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...

ChrisC wrote in message
...
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?
--

What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want them
in your garden.

Bob
_______________________--

Young nettles taste similar to spinach. They do need a good rich
soil to thrive. I always knew they had been used for their fibres but was
surprised to hear on the television this week that 1st World war knapsacks
were made from these fibres. Some texts state that they were introduced by
the Romans.
It has been shown that this is the very first plant that chidren
recognise~~The sting probably!
Regards Brian..
" Nettles don't sting Mondays" M Miller.

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , ChrisC ?@?.?
writes
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

G*d! Someone actually wants to introduce them?

Be careful what you do, they grow and multiply like there is no tomorrow.

I have spent the last five years battling to get rid of a garden full of
them.
I have dug them up, cut them off, put weedkiller on them and still the
b*ggers come back.

You want stinging nettles? You come and take a few of mine ( some of mine
are six f eet high this year)

"mich" wrote in message
...

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , ChrisC ?@?.?
writes
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

G*d! Someone actually wants to introduce them?

Be careful what you do, they grow and multiply like there is no tomorrow.

I have spent the last five years battling to get rid of a garden full of
them.
I have dug them up, cut them off, put weedkiller on them and still the
b*ggers come back.

You want stinging nettles? You come and take a few of mine ( some of mine
are six f eet high this year)
--------------------
If your soil grows nettles so well then you should be able to
grow anything . They only grow on very good soil.
Brian

ChrisC wrote in message
...
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?
--

Whoe, I certainly wouldn't go and get any of the local common, not with all
those dogs and cats around..... the sheer thought !
--
troubleinstore
http://www.tuppencechange.co.uk
Personal mail can be sent via website.
Email address in posting is ficticious and is intended as spam trap



---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.713 / Virus Database: 469 - Release Date: 30/06/2004

In article ,
Brian wrote:
"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...
ChrisC wrote in message
.. .

Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want them
in your garden.

Young nettles taste similar to spinach. They do need a good rich
soil to thrive. I always knew they had been used for their fibres but was
surprised to hear on the television this week that 1st World war knapsacks
were made from these fibres. Some texts state that they were introduced by
the Romans.

When I tried them, they were strongly reminiscent of boiled cotton
wool. It is the small nettle that was introduced by the Romans.

And they seed themselves like the devil, but need a high-phosphate
soil to thrive (hence their occurrence where livestock have been
kept). While the poxious Whitehall bureaucrats have made it illegal
to dig up nettle stems (they will not regrow from the yellow roots),
nobody sane will give a damn.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , ChrisC ?@?.?
writes
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

There are two common species of nettle, both of which seed. The annual
nettle spreads almost entirely by seed - this is the one you usually
find when you are hand weeding a row of seedlings.

The 4ft monster has separate male and female flowers and I think they're
on separate plants, and the main way this spreads is by runners. Your
quickest bet would be to yank up some roots and transplant.

However, you are not allowed to uproot any wild plant without the
permission of the landowner (and some have stricter protection). So you
need to ask before you do. Even common land has an owner.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , mich
writes

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , ChrisC ?@?.?
writes
Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

G*d! Someone actually wants to introduce them?

Be careful what you do, they grow and multiply like there is no tomorrow.

I have spent the last five years battling to get rid of a garden full of
them.
I have dug them up, cut them off, put weedkiller on them and still the
b*ggers come back.

If you dig them up and get the roots out they don't come back. They're
easier to get rid of than ground elder.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Bob Smith" wrote

What do nettles taste like?


In addition to soup, tea and vegetable use, in our family we also eat
"nettle nuts" which are the mature flower strings. You have to be careful
picking them but they make a pleasurable occasional nibble when out
gardening. They're eaten raw, straight off the plant, and my family and I
have never stung our tongues.

regards
Don

In article , Bob Smith
writes
What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want them
in your garden.

Their flavour when cooked as a boiled vegetable is not unlike cabbage or
spinach, but that is only one of many reasons for wanting them in the
garden. I use them mainly for nettle infusion to be used as an insect
repellent, a plant tonic and a source of soil nutrients, and for organic
composting. They also can be used for making very good beers, wines,
teas and in salads or casseroles.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In message , Alan Gould
writes
In article , Bob Smith
writes
What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want them
in your garden.

Their flavour when cooked as a boiled vegetable is not unlike cabbage or
spinach, but that is only one of many reasons for wanting them in the
garden. I use them mainly for nettle infusion to be used as an insect
repellent, a plant tonic and a source of soil nutrients, and for organic
composting. They also can be used for making very good beers, wines,
teas and in salads or casseroles.

And are, apparently, very good for you ... and your livestock. Found
this - though I don't know why Vermont, I didn't think stinging nettels
existed in the USA .

http://www.ruralvermont.com/vermontw...g/98005/nettle
..shtml


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 02:30:05 +0100, ChrisC wrote:

Do stinging nettles seed? I would quite like to grow them for tea and
soup purposes. Or would it be advisable to go dig some up at the local
common?

The specific epithet "dioica" gives us an important clue. The
common nettle is "dioecious", which means that individual plants
bear only male or only female plants. (I'm sure you can find
exceptional plants that either bear both, or bear complete
flowers.)

Best to dig some up being careful to take males only. Then you'll
only have them spreading madly at the root, rather than seeding
about as well.

Also, there are (or so I've been told) occasional individual
plants of nettle that lack the sting, but the process of
determining which are which sounds like a painful one.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]

In article , Klara
writes
And are, apparently, very good for you ... and your livestock. Found
this - though I don't know why Vermont, I didn't think stinging nettels
existed in the USA .

John Lust, writing in 'The Herb Book' says that stinging nettles are
found in U.S.A. in States Northwards from Colorado, Missouri and South
Carolina. Maybe the temperatures are too high for them South of that?
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.