Here's Why You Should Grow Nettles
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- Опубликовано: 4 июн 2021
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Yes, you read that right! Nettles have a bad reputation as annoying, stinging, creeping weeds... but many of us do not realise that nettles have multiple AWESOME benefits for us and our gardens!
In this video, Ben convinces us to love our nettles and explains why we actually NEED nettles in our gardens. Sound like we've lost the plot? Well let's see!
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When I am suffering from seasonal allergies I make a strong cup of Nettle tea and I can breathe easier for around four hours.
Yes sure nettle tea is very importance , happy gardening
Wow ! I am so planting nettles now ! Thank you !
Nettles saved Irish people during the famine of 1847 when there was no other food available .also nettle seeds are fantastic for health benefits too
Yea our right they where making nettle champ up until the 1960s and probably later.
@@51onions
Those not familiar with Irish traditions might like to know that Champ is a dish of mashed potato ,butter , and spring onions.
@@trevorwills3356 Thanks I was thinking Nettle Champagne for a moment! Well there is Elderflower Champagne.
Mashed potato, butter and spring onions with nettles sounds quite tasty. Due for a comeback?
Several years ago I took a wild foods class at a park in West Seattle. We foraged wild nettles, steamed them and layered them with phyllo dough to make Spanakopita! Delicious! We also collected dock and other "weedy" greens and made a tasty salad. I have been eating my garden weeds ever since. Just love your videos!
Wild spankopita - great idea!
Your videos are full of information, but I just love how I can also use them for entertainment when I have a little free time. Very calm, relaxing, friendly and informative at the same time. Thank you.
So pleased you enjoy them - thanks for watching.
My favourite cheese maker, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, makes a chèvre named ‘Nettles Gone Wild’. A nettle leaf is impressed on the rind. When it is aged and ready, it is absolutely BRILLIANT. The nettles impart an earthy, mushroomy flavour profile that is divine. I always buy more than I can possibly consume! The conundrum is that they now also make Truffles Gone Wild chèvre - you can only imagine how agonizing it is to make the choice between the two, so naturally I buy both!
The truffle one sounds good!
Good move buying both! We've a cheese here called Cornish Yarg which has nettles used to wrap it.
I have been harvesting nettles for years and make a tea blend of nettles, bee balm and mint to soothe symptoms of seasonal allergies. Really lovely tea and it works!
Camerawork is now amazing and the speaking seems completely natural (which makes me feel much more relaxed when watching :)
Ready to see the views on the channel take off!
Thanks so much for those observations. We're trying to make the channel a little more natural and have a fantastic cameraperson in tow too. :-)
To keep nettles for soup later in the year pick the young leaves, wash them then put them in a bag and freeze them. Don’t bother defrosting, lust add them to the pan and no chance of stings.
Not advising anyone do this themselves but for those who suffer from arthritic pains the sting of the nettle can be less than the pain of the arthritis and can relieve the arthritic pain. I get pains in my thumbs and wrists and often run my hands through the nettle patch. The initial discomfort dies down and the relief in my joints lasts a couple of days. I generally don’t bother with gloves when I’m removing nettles for the same reason (though a face visor might be worn at times)
The mature plants yield a yarn comparable to flax and has been used for making linen in locations where flax can’t be grown. You can also get natural dyes from the roots.
Thank you so much for sharing this.💖
I noticed that the nettle mush left over after making a batch of nettle tea, was very plastic and sticky like clay as the moisture was squoze out, like clay. I expect it could have made a good sort of paper. But I added it to the compost. I was dreading "the stench" that people mention but it wasnt that bad, a bit like pig manure
What an incredible way to make use of your nettles. It really is an incredible plant!
Brilliant Ben! I will have to try the tea and cooking them.
Have a great weekend!
I had no idea there were so many uses for nettles! Thanks for sharing😊
Thanks man this is awesome. I’ve tried the tee it’s great. It also kept pest away from my garden. Being able to withstand the damage taken from the pest
Great presentation. I had no idea they could be used for a tea in the garden!
I must look into this; I hope we have some around!
Thanks for sharing such an informative and educative video clip. Now I have great respect for this, once neglected super multi-purpose plant/medicinal herb.
This is awesome thank you so much ❣️
Very nice ways to make liquid fertilizer at home for using in the garden, thanks so much for sharing to us such informative of nettles plant
Excellent so so very interesting!!
Great reminder on these unwelcome and too oft 'forgetable' plants. A quite well shot video by the way.
Now we just need great uses for bindweed!
I agree, but can we add horsetail too!
There must be a use for it I'm sure...
took me a few years to figure it out but i have them yea.. love the tea. and i'll try other recipes you suggested... that soup look yummy
We made a delicious nettle pesto this spring. Pretty much like regular pesto, just replace the basil with nettles. Very green.
Oh, good idea
Wonderful!👏
I love Nettles, I made nettle pesto, soup and other recipes, but I also make a nettle shampoo bar, and hair tea. My hair loves them too
Ironically infusing dried nettle leaves into a salve can be used to relive itch from other stinging plants and insects, also supposed to help joint swelling from arthritis.
There is something deliciously ironic about that you're right Jo.
Fun facts! Thanks!
Beautiful video! I love the recipes, I had no idea it can be used in so many different ways. Thank you!!🌱🌿💚🐞
It's a super plant it really is!
Ok, you won me over!!! Thank you for this video.
Yey!
Very cool, I never knew that!!
Getting such a laugh with you take on the videos, light entertainment with some fun and joy my 3 year old loves it also please keep it up
Thanks Andrew - I'll try!
woahh...the amount of times I've used weed killer on them...my gosh, I just hate getting stung, and having small kids, doesn't help. But now I know where to put my chilli plant when there's aphids on it. Near some stinging nettles so the ladybirds can eat them up. 😁
Thanks for posting such a meaningful video, of a plant quite misunderstood. 😌
A great episode here, how we would be healthier if we use stinging nettles more, I think you covered most uses here, well done 👏
Thanks so much. The nettle is a hugely underrated plant! :-)
Super cool! I need to grow these. I'm not sure if I have them in my yard as weeds. Titus Morris showed picking and rolling the leaves up so that stinger was on the opposite side and then can eat.
Definitely grow them if you can!
In pretty much all the Balkan countries nettles are a spring staple, typically consumed in a stew, soup or my favourite nettles pap.
They showed up all over my yard this year...Of course I had to find out the hard way!
I acquired a couple of nettle roots from a friend, for herbal, nutritional support and they were growing well! I moved last May, bringing a bunch of herbs and saved seeds to a property that has a neglected veggie garden (read fallow and covered in years of leaves), small apple orchard (6 trees) and blueberry bushes (3). It's a marvelous space and we hurriedly and randomly planted too much and got an overwhelming harvest and also an overwhelming number of pests and disease. I got the garden planner to make the most of a smaller garden this year. Your videos stoke my enthusiasm!
So pleased to hear that Elizabeth. Very best of luck with this year’s garden.
Great video. Please more vids about "weeds". Love from Poland
Seeds very, tasty, nutritious and store well
Great video Ben. Nettle tea is a great natural plant food
Love your doggie!
Looks like many of your viewers are already keen on this plant. I will try to make friends with this stinger. Thank you as always for the valuable information!
Blessings...daisy
Well now I feel slightly less angry about all of the stings I have on my hands from weeding yesterday... I love the idea of steeping them for plant feed or use as compost. I love all your videos, learnt a lot from this in particular!
Thanks for watching. And yes, the stings don't seem so bad when you realise how awesome nettles really are. :-)
Awesome! Love nettle tea + as a wonderful leafy veg bed for poached salmon 😋
Sounds like a great combo!
I love this video! It was wonderful to hear how a "weed" can be so helpful and nutritious! Makes me feel like maybe we should look closer into what we label a weed
Every 'weed' seems to have its uses.
i put nettles in my garden on purpose. they don't grow wild around here and i wanted to try some recipes
Oh, I hope I find nettles in my yard! I let my stream bank grow wild, and I love finding things that I didn't know was there! This year, we have a random blackberry briar (probably planted by a passing bird :) ).
Wish I watched this before the weekend! I tackled the nettles, and there were a lot. I also have a plague of aphids (black and green) on my veg. Been releasing ladybirds/lacewing larvae, but never thought nettles would help! Thanks for all your videos btw. Sometimes I sound like I know what I doing because of you ;)
Thanks for the kind comments. At least you'll know the value of nettles when they grow back. :-)
👍 Stinging Nettle works as good or better than regular medicine for my asthma and allergies.
I love nettles. I make a nettle and mint tea almost every evening in spring and summer. I also dry the leaves for winter.
Great idea adding mint too - for variety and a touch of sweetness.
I use dried nettle for tea in the winter to mix with others herbs.
Nice one 👍
I watched a sparrow eating the nettle seeds today. It is something I have never witnessed before.
What a privilege! Nettles are such a wildlife-powerhouse they really are.
And they are great for the hair too ☺️
Forgive me nettles! 😩😩😩😩 for I have sinned 🙏
😂
They'll forgive you I'm sure - now is the time to make good!
😂 me too!😮
We had a brush pile we cleaned up and a whole mess of nettles sprung up. Well my first thought was, dang, but I seen a couple videos and yours about making fertilizer. I haven’t tried it yet, and noticed an interesting use as they were between a soybean field and our acreage that the Japanese beetles loved them! Who would have thought that?
I had whacked some out earlier in our path before all this new found info. I almost was ready to vanish them and now I love them. All the years we avoided them as a kid as they were prolific in the shaded ravine and where a natural organic floor was and here they have great potential. I also noticed that I usually find blackcaps growing in the same area so there must be some beneficial use they get from each other. I knew about tea, but this is all so much more.
For those that need to contain them, I believe they have a rhizome root and edging may contain just like for mint family. Can’t remember if they have square stem, maybe they are mint family.
Great vid, thanks!
So pleased you have discovered the value of nettles. It is indeed a wonderful plant! :-)
dry and grind the leaves to store for adding to soups over the winter!
I use compost tea after planting tomatoes, only before flowering, and then comfrey compost tea, I make ravioli with cheese and nettle.
What a great way to use nettles - will have to try it in ravioli.
Supposedly , good for joint health and regulation of the thyroid (hyper or hypo)!
I drank it often after postpartum hypothyroidism and I do really believe it helped me!
Best video yet Ben ! Lots of useful info. I am curious as to what makes them sting in the first place and how boiling manages to remove the sting ? I'm still reluctant to make a nettle tea for fear of a scratchy throat !
The sting is an acid delivered to the skin by the sharp, needle like spines on the plant. These are completely destroyed on heating. They really are, so, honestly, no danger of a prickly throat!
@@GrowVeg Nature + Science + Community = Amazing !
I'm going to make a nettle corner in my allotment ...thanks
Top job!
Great vid showing permaculture benefits...almost everything growing in your yard can be used either for fertilizer, to eat, mulch or to make medicines, etc. I also use a shredder for cardboard which becones mulch and compost in my garden.
Love the idea of shredding your cardboard.
You must be using a pretty high powered shredder. We get loads of cardboard form our neighbours and a local shop to feed our 15 (1mx1mx1m) pallet based compost heaps. I 'process' it all by hand after getting it just a little soggy. It would be great to know what sort of shredder you are using.
@@andymoore9977 I decided to invest in a durable one (Bonsai Evershred 3S30) because I am covering about a quarter acre more or less, plus container plants. It definitely makes a good mulch, and saving a lot of money there! I also shred most papers, mail, etc as long as the tape or cellophane is removed. And put flat cardboard on the yard also to prepare the bed.
www.bing.com/shop?q=bonsai+3S30&qs=n&form=SHOPSB&sp=-1&pq=bonsai+3s30&sc=1-11&sk=&cvid=2E39EBDC1E074298854AB8070B858525
@@fadista7063 HI, thanks for the link. It looks very expensive at £500. Will it eat up cardboard boxes (Amazon etc) or do i need to still rip those by had?
@@andymoore9977 eats up all the cardboard, all kinds of cardboard boxes. Just rip into pieces that fit the 8 inch slot and feed it in! Also can shred plastic and metal but I have not used that feature yet. Very good machine. Try eBay and you should find a less expensive one. I paid around 350 dollars with shipping...though could be more expensive in UK and Europe. Try to find one that emphasizes heavy duty home and office.
We pick the top of tender young nettles and put them in our smoothies. The blender knocks off the spines and there is no sting. If you fold it up right, you can even just eat them raw straight off the plant. I had someone teach me do it right and it was delicious- kind of a tangy taste that reminded me a hint of pineapple, probably from all the vitamin C. Last year I collected a bunch of tall plants and tried to make nettle fiber. We got to the point where the kids and I were making short bits of rough rope with it. It is super strong! We are going to try again this year. I was watching videos about flax to get some ideas how to process it.
I am looking forward to trying out the ideas in this video too. I love the idea of using it at mulch! I often think it's a good thing that stinging nettles sting or they would be over harvested from the wild because they are such an amazingly useful plant.
Funnily enough my seven-year-old daughter is a dab hand and picking them with her fingers and rolling them up to eat - no fear!
Nettles also make a beautiful natural dye!
I ordered a packet of nettle seeds this year & agonized over where to plant them as I am nervous about them spreading more than desired. Thanks for all the great information, I had no idea about the aphids. My roses will be most happy to have them as a new neighbor!
Nettles are quite easy to control and knock back. They're not terribly invasive I find and are surprisingly well behaved.
Thank you for the response! I appreciate all of the invaluable knowledge you so graciously and eloquently share 🙏💗
An informative video as usual. Please add a warning that people on anticoagulant medication should avoid eating nettles or drinking nettle tea as it has a similar effect,
They grow wild everywhere
Nice
From time to time, I drink what's called a dried nettle long infusion--as a nutritional supplement. Instructions are easily found on line. Also, some US seed companies are starting to offer nettle seed. Can you believe it? Perhaps best sited in the back, fairy garden portion of a yard. I haven't yet tried this, but want to. Also an herbalist teacher taught our class that eating nettles was OK for people until buds start to form. When in bloom, avoid eating the nettles. As always, thanks for the lovely videos :)
Interesting to learn seeds are now sold - very emblematic of our changing attitudes to 'weeds' and wildflowers generally.
I didn't like nettles the first time I put my ungloved hand into them! But I do like them now. I have some in my apothecary, chopped and soaked in rum for a tincture. We almost over harvested the small volunteer nettle patch that showed up give years ago. Now I'm down to one lone plant that I've allowed to go to seed. Next year should be a tincture worthy harvest.
That wonderful to hear - what a creative use for them. :-)
I cut mine with scissors down the stem making sure there are at least a couple of leaves left on the stem. If you come back later in the summer the plant will have grown 2 heads of fresh nettle. The tea can be absolutely fabulous, & I also put raw stems & leaves through a Juicer.
Hmm - might try adding them to my morning smoothies - great idea!
Nettle and flax fibers are hollow, linens made from them are natural performance fabrics (they keep you warm in the cold and cool you in the heat). I’ve been eating nettles since the 1970s. They are absolutely delish and when the plants get older, can be harvested for fiber. And and all excess is great for compost or as mulch (comfrey is another that is great for compost, mulch, compost tea and is great to blend with nettles). Nettles freeze or dry really well, and are well worth the effort for year round enjoyment. Good video! You are doing great work and helping a lot of people both now and in the future.
Thanks so much for that Tim. I'm aware it makes a great and durable fabric. It truly is a wonder plant!
They are great against greasy hair too
Really? That's really quite a surprise.
@@GrowVeg well, that's what my mom used to do and it worked, why? Forgive me I'm no chimiste/scientist I can't explain 😊, you have a great day sir 👋
I cook them like greens and in stews!!
What would be the best plants to use the nettles as mulch around? Great information. My sister just made me nettle soup last week, it was so good!
You could use it around any trees, shrubs and more substantial plants and crops (so they don't smother them). It simply makes a great general-purpose mulch that will rot down into the soil in time.
What a wonderful video. I have tons of nettles in my crazy garden, but I never considered them a fertilizer. What a great idea! Thank you so much, Ben.
How long can I keep this liquid nettle fertilizer?
I'd use it as fresh as you can. I'm not sure how quickly it will deteriorate, but I'd certainly be looking to use it up with in a month or two.
@@GrowVeg thank you🙂
they love my allotment seed them themselves everywhere and soon swamp my plants out if I am not quick enough to get them out they do my head in.
nettle not commons in Indonesia, i ever tried eaten nettle leafs with sambal its soo bitter ..now i know tht nettle so useful ..i would tried to grow nettle more
Another thing overlooked often- nettles provide very strong, but soft and breathable fibers with a silky sheen, farming nettles is far less damaging than cotton for the environment, especially as the leaves and seedheads can just be left to mulch after harvesting to promote a second crop, they do not require endless fertilizing and pesticides to grow and they can easily co-exist with local wildlife, they are just as useful as their cousin- hemp, which sadly you cannot grow legally, but in spite of the stupidity of making a plant illegal, nettles are a good alternative to cotton without the legal troubles of hemp. If we can industrialize the separation of the pulp and fiber, we could revolutionize textiles, especially clothing, for which it is ideal!
It's a true wonder plant that's for sure!
And they make a fantastic nettle salt to cook with. It goes so well with meat.
Matey Chops - Very good. Yep, they recon Nettles and Dandilion are amongst the most powerful super foods in the world. Super dooper woooper
The most ordinary 'weeds' are often the most extraordinary, right!
I've been boiling nettles to eat for fifteen minutes cos I was worried about the sting from them so I was wrong then. I'm going to extract the furry bit inside the stalks when ready to make fabric which I've seen on here...utub
yes- the larvae of many beautiful butterflies eat nettle leaves, too. It's so difficult to find plants that will support the larval stage.
Nettles seem to support a huge variety of caterpillars.
nice video, the liquid fertilizer it can be a good antifungical and insect repelent if you put in water the nettles for 3 to 5 days instead of 30 days
That is very interesting and I will be trying it out. I hope it deters ants because I have millions of them, both red and black. Thank you.
@@vanessataylor4125 for ants you can try diatomaceous earth, or dry citrus peels
@@curropons8034 Thank you Curro I will give it a go👍
I pick them without gloves. They won't sting if you do it right but you'll know all about it if you get it wrong! I leave mine to grow and just remove the seed heads as they appear before they can mature. I just lop them off as I would dead flowers and then at the end of the season I pull the whole lot for the compost and a new lot grow for the next season. Nettles do very well here in Tasmania's climate.
I bet they do well in Tasmania. Lovely part of the world.
*Nettle tea? That's courageous, I would love to see someone drinking live and be okay before I try that!*
The hot water removes the stings, so it's quite safe/pain free!
@@GrowVeg I thought that would be the case but I again I think I am unnecessary cautious to try new things. Which part of the UK are you from if I may ask? Perhaps we will try that tea together 😄 !?
"yum" lol
I want nettle and comphry so badly
I hate stinging nettles. All my life .
Sooooo….. I guess I will give this a try??!
Give it a go!
Try making fermented nettel gloop. Some nettals in a jar with brown sugar in layers then leave for two weeks. Sive off brown liquid then dilute 500 times to water. Can be used directly on leaves or to water.
Is that the Huw Richards' method?
@@WaddedBliss yes I saw this on his channel and made some. I am now making some comfrey gloop. 🥦🥬🥒
@@fastfreddy19641 Excellent.
I won’t think of them as the enemy now, I promise!
Good on you Tamara.
Where to find the recipe for nettle beer ? I’d love 💕 to try that ...
I haven't searched for one yet, but I'd love to give it a try so may well do a video on that in the future.
Nettles are companion plant to fig tree.
Hello, to use nettle as natural fertiliser, is the nutrients in using painted nettle leaves the same as stinging nettles leaves?
No, they are very different plants so the nutrient profile would be different.
I've been learning about neetles and their various uses and they sound great, a really healthy option. However, I also heard that once the neetle plants flower you can no longer eat the leaves unless you cut the plant back to encourage new growth. Is this true and if so, how much of the plant do we cut back to encourage that new growth?
Yes, the plants get tougher and poorer eating as the foliage ages. You can just hack it right back to the ground and it should resprout.
@@GrowVeg That's great, thanks for your reply.
I know some people did not like the music, but I really miss it!
Thanks for the feedback. We haven't ditched the music - just trying out other music too for variety. Nothing will beat the original cheery music don't worry! :-)
I put nettles in pancakes. When my oldest daughter started kindergarten she did not want to eat their pancakes because they had no green in them😂
That's brilliant!
Can you please help me out here, I have been having thousands of Nettles by this time of year. Now I am unable to find a single plant. Also, the roots that we have been going for were about two feet from the plants, and very deep in the ground. You have got to do some serious digging with a sharpshooter to get even one. Thanks and have a happy day. Alvis
I'm not sure where they might have gone. Usually nettles are so resilient. If they don't come up you may want to seed nettles by strewing nettles over the ground once they have flowered and are producing seed. This is usually a good way to introduce them to bare ground.
They can also be eaten raw. Tried it myself a few times.
I've made nettle soup - it's delicious, but I did read that you shouldn't eat it more than once a week as it's highly diuretic.
Interesting Jackie. I hadn't realised that, so thanks for sharing that advisory.
Where’s the beer recipe then! Lol
I wanted to include that but was keen to keep the video tight. But I reckon there's scope for a nettles video mark 2 next year - and that's as good excuse as any to brew up a batch!
@@GrowVeg I always keep a few growing about the croft so I look forward to it
Nettles, ouch.