[Mazzie]

How long after cutting/digging (if ever) is it safe to dump nettles on a compost heap?  They have dried out in bags but its likely there will be roots amongst it all, i had a major clean up last week and they are all drying out on plastic or in bags. 

I would make tea if i could but i have no water on the plot and my butts are bone dry.

[Trillium]

If you cut off the roots, you can toss the tops into the compost now.

[Kleftiwallah]

Mazzie, Mazzie, Mazzie !

Nettles may attract butterflies, hover flies and ladybugs. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is often referred to as a weed but it provides several advantages. Besides attracting beneficial insects, its young shoots are edible. It can grow quite prolifically with elongated leaves, small green flowers and stinging thorns. Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum) is of a different genus, but it looks very similar to stinging nettle and fortuitously without the sting. As a result, dead nettle also attracts helpful insects.

I shall say no more !    Cheers,  Tony.

[Mazzie]

So no to roots in the compost then?  They are pretty much all dried out now so wont sting but im sure i put some roots in there and dont fancy working my way through all the bags and still missing some.

Thank you Tony dont worry ive still kept a rather large section of growing nettles but these were bordering on the path and had to go.  I do my bit for nettle loving insects as my garden is full of them

[Dan78]

I wouldnt worry about any roots already in there.. IF they do start growing again you can just pull them all out

Same as the bits of potato i put in the first year that started to grow