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14 August 2008
More than a sting in its tail
None of us likes to see nettles in the garden but, as Charlie Wilkins explains, they can bring certain benefits, especially in growing vegetables.
AS plants, nettles contain a high percentage of nitrogen and this can stimulate growth in soft fruit and others, if allowed to flourish nearby. When cut for use in the compost heap nettles breaks down into excellent needed for fast decomposition. As mulch material between vegetables, it has no equal in keeping down other weeds, preventing moisture loss, and feeding the crop.
If you soak an armful of nettles in rainwater for a fortnight or so, you will have a rather smelly but efficient liquid fertiliser, which is particularly suited to tomatoes and others which rely on high potash for colour, flavour, and high yield. An infusion made from a handful of fresh nettles, boiled in a pint of water and allowed cool can be mixed with four parts water and used as a spray against mildew, black-fly, and aphids-in addition to its value as a foliar feed.
Those into organic growing (and this means avoiding the use of all chemicals) will find nettles to be of great value provided they are picked fresh and young, and prepared immediately. Once the plants get long in the tooth (early September) the results taper off and beneficial effects become reduced.
Other weeds can also be used to make good, natural liquid manures by steeping them in a bucket of rainwater for a couple of weeks. This returns all the excellent nutrients and trace elements to your plants rather than relying on artificial fertilizers or growth boosters.
Another useful ploy is to allow weeds develop in onion beds when these are (now) getting to a good size. By depriving them of nitrogen you increase their ability to keep over the long winter without spoiling. Remove flowering seed heads of course, or you may end up in future years with nothing but weeds.
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