Erect stems growing three to seven feet tall are lined with soft-green pointed leaves with serrated edges.
Stinging nettle is a fast-growing plant; young plants reach maturity by mid-season when planted in the spring.
This plant is mildly toxic to humans and of variable toxicity to pets.
The Spruce / Lindsay Talley
If you’re working with a stinging nettle plant in your garden, always wear protective clothing.
This includes thick gardening gloves, as well as long sleeves and pants.
Avoid touching your face as you work.
The Spruce / Lindsay Talley
Growing stinging nettle deliberately may make you unpopular with neighbors, as it will readily spread unless carefully attended.
it’s possible for you to keep in check by removing the flowers as they appear to prevent self-seeding.
Regular harvesting will also keep the plants under control.
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Too much shade makes the plant grow too tall and leggy.
Soil
This plant does best in evenly moist, loamy soils rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.
It tolerates a wide range of pH levels, from very acidic to very alkaline.
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It does not do well in very dry, barren soils.
Water
Stinging nettle has average water needs but will be especially vigorous in climates with frequent rainfall.
If your region has regular rainfall (every two weeks or so), additional watering is not necessary.
The Spruce / Lindsay Talley
But in most typical garden soil, stinging nettle does quite well with no feeding at all.
Other than this, no pruning is necessary, other than pre-winter removal of dead stalks.
The seeds are very tiny.
Scatter them over the surface of a tray filled with ordinary potting mix.
Keep the tray lightly moist until the seeds sprout, which happens within about 14 days.
The seedlings can be transplanted outdoors as soon as the soil is warm enough to be worked.
Overwintering
No overwinter protection is needed for this hardy plant.
Most gardeners will want to cut back dead stalks in late fall to prevent self-seeding in the garden.
The flowers are not showy, and there’s no aesthetic reason to encourage blooming.
Instead, you must thoroughly cook the plant before eating it to deactivate its stinging potential.
When the plant is uncooked it is toxic.
Harvesting involves cutting back the top third of the plant, just above a node where leaves branch out.
This will encourage new growth.
The leaves will have the best flavor in cooking if they are harvested before the plant flowers.
After this, the leaves because somewhat tough and stringy.
Stinging nettle can be difficult to remove from the garden.
Either compost them or seal them in a yard waste bag.
This will smother any new plants that give a shot to grow.
Several moths also eat this plant in their larval stage.
2015 Aug 7;4(1):119-124. doi:10.1002/fsn3.259
Urtica Dioica.North Carolina State Extension.
