[Aidy]

I have decided to cultivate nettles on the plot 

This I am sure will upset the SS officers who do the site inspections 

The reason behind this is I have this year of late used them a lot at home, indeed the other Sunday I made a rather splendid spud n nettle soup which according to everyone that had it was the best soup they had tasted.
I have also been watching the Simply Italian program and would you believe it, they used nettle in a ravioli type dish.
So gonna get me a decent crop of nettles growing, anybody else grow them for cooking on purpose?

[Kleftiwallah]

A stroll down any footpath or bridleway should provide you with all the nettles you can handle,  but then you do have to contend with spray drift from the thousand and one chemicals the guardians of Englands grey and blighted land chuck about with gay abandon.

Happy growing,  which variety are you thinking of growing?

Cheers,     Tony.

[Trillium]

I'm assuming you're not growing stinging nettles. Had my first encounter with them this year. The seeds came in a bag of soil I bought and the plants grew beautifully until the heat got them. And yikes, but they do sting.

[sarajane]

Maybe put them in their own bed o they don't stray into other crops and put a big sign up saying they are 'edible nettles' to stop the weed police complaining 

[Aidy]

I'm assuming you're not growing stinging nettles. Had my first encounter with them this year. The seeds came in a bag of soil I bought and the plants grew beautifully until the heat got them. And yikes, but they do sting.

Yep thats them Trilli.
In medieval England they were used a lot, I have started to use them and they do taste good, cook for 5 mins to ensure the sting is no longer.

Maybe put them in their own bed o they don't stray into other crops and put a big sign up saying they are 'edible nettles' to stop the weed police complaining 

Yep, I have small patch of land on the plot that I could use, was thinking of building a small raised bed and putting a sign on it explaing these are for eating 

A stroll down any footpath or bridleway should provide you with all the nettles you can handle,  but then you do have to contend with spray drift from the thousand and one chemicals the guardians of Englands grey and blighted land chuck about with gay abandon.

Happy growing,  which variety are you thinking of growing?

Cheers,     Tony.

The best part about growing on the plot, is it is at the end of my garden so there is no traffic, no spray etc and very little walking. As regards types I would think the bog standard stinging nettle.

[Trillium]

Stinging nettles. Wow, you're a tougher fellow than I thought   

[mumofstig]

The first leaves of the year make a tasty soup - according to the 'oldies' it's good for cleansing the blood after winter and that's before this generation thought up detoxing 

[savbo]

I'm keeping a small patch in a corner for the wildlife they encourage, and will take a few tops for eating next year...

sounds like our site is a lot more relaxed than some others! we have some right jungles....

sav

[Kirpi]

I have a mix of Comfrey with Stinging Nettles mied in and I use both together or separate according to what plant tea I want to make.

There is a damson tree growing in the same bed so the tree gets a good feed when all the comfrey and nettles die down in winter.

The bed butts onto my wildflower/cutting flowers bed, so with these flowers, comfrey and nettles I attract as many pollinators as can be found in the area.

Never had any complaints because it is obvious to most what the bed is for.

[RichardA]

I keep a few for making liquid feed and for the butterflies. They are all the Common stinging type. I think the so called sweet nettles or flowering nettles or non stinging type are really a type of mint so not the same thing at all - is that right or have I misremembered  ??
R

[Kirpi]

Lamium alba, White Deadnettle, is not Urtica dioica, the Stinging Nettle; you are right.  The Deadnettle is a good bee nectar plant and non invasive.