How to Grow Stinging Nettles

The stinging nettle (urtica dioica) is a fast-growing plant common across all of North America, though it prefers the moist, forested soil of the Pacific Northwest. Stinging nettles get their name from their actual sting: their leaves are covered with tiny sharp needles that release a painful combination of neurotransmitters, histamines and formic acid. Although common wisdom has dictated that a gardener avoid stinging nettles entirely, the plant has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as people rediscover its use in traditional herbal medicine and health benefits as a vegetable. Cooking neutralizes the plant's stinging toxins.

Gardening gloves
Stinging nettle seeds
Seed-starting flats or a large, shallow baking dish
Seed-starting mix potting soil
Water
Watering can
Plastic wrap

Instructions

- 1
  Put on gardening gloves.
- 2
  Open the packet of seed and mix with 1/2 cup dry sand.
- 3
  Fill the growing flat or baking dish with seed starting mix soil. Wet the soil with water using the watering can, and mix well. Spread the moist soil so it evenly covers the bed or dish.
- 4
  Sprinkle the sand/seed combination evenly across the flat or dish. Cover with plastic wrap to keep seeds moist and warm while they germinate. Place in full to partial sun.
- 5
  Check seeds daily. Re-water and re-cover until seedlings emerge--this can take several days to several weeks depending on the crop of seed you used. Stinging nettles can be slow to germinate. Be patient, keep them moist, and remove the plastic wrap when they do start to sprout.
- 6
  Replant seedlings, when they are 3 to 4 inches tall, into a portion of your garden that receives partial sun but is also easy to contain. You want to keep the sting nettles away from children and pets. Stinging nettle is invasive and hearty, and it can take over a garden if you do not control it. Wear gardening gloves when you handle the young plants.

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