Stinging Nettle - 500 seeds AB - La ferme Sainte Marthe

Stinging Nettle: a versatile plant for gardening, cooking and health

Stinging nettle, also known as Great Nettle, is a perennial plant in the Urticaceae family. It is characterized by its oval, dark-green, toothed leaves, covered with stinging hairs. The plant can reach heights of 50 cm to 1 metre at maturity, and is renowned for its versatility.

Culinary and medicinal uses :

Stinging nettle is used in a wide range of recipes, from country cooking to Michelin-starred cuisine. Cooked as a vegetable, particularly in soups, it is appreciated for its high protein, iron and vitamin content. In addition to its culinary uses, it is also a medicinal plant, recognized for its tonic, depurative, diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Horticultural and soil benefits:

Easy to grow, stinging nettle thrives in nitrogen-rich soils and often grows in areas considered uncultivated. It acts as a soil improver, cleansing soils of excess phosphates and nitrates. In addition, it is a key ingredient in the manufacture of nettle purin, known for its fungicidal, growth-activating, fertilizing and insect-repellent properties.

Growing tips:

To avoid becoming invasive, grow nettle in large pots or window boxes. To sow, place the seeds in a shallow, sheltered spot in good potting soil in spring. Keep the soil moist until emergence, which requires a warm, dark spot. Transplant into soil rich in organic matter once frosts are no longer a concern, spacing the plants 30 cm apart and exposing them to part-shade.

Additional information :

Packaging: 500-seed sachet
Type Reproducible seeds
Label: Agriculture biologique
Plant habit : Bushy
Soil: humus
Germination temperature: 16 to 23°C
Sowing depth: equal to the size of the seed.
Seed emergence: 7 to 20 days
Sowing technique: in rows
Sowing container: bucket / open ground

To sum up, stinging nettle is an indispensable plant in the garden, thanks to its many uses in cooking, natural medicine and as a soil improver.