Stinging Nettle Seeds - Urtica Dioica - Edible & Medicinal
Quantity: 100 Seeds
Stinging Nettle, or Urtica Dioica, is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It's a hardy perennial down to zone 3. Nettle thrives in many different environments, but prefers to have lots of sunshine, and a good amount of moisture in the soil. This is a very versatile plant, because the young leaves make for a top quality vegetable in regards to both nutrition and flavour, and the leaves of any age, make a very medicinal tonic that's good for a wide range of health conditions. Some of these benefits include purifying the blood, treating arthritis, hay fever, eczema, poor digestion, enlarged prostate, inflammation, and more. Also, the roots have a compound that prevents testosterone from converting into estrogen, so this is especially useful for men, but it's also used to balance and regulate hormones in both men and women. This is an extremely useful plant to have in any medicinal garden.
All seeds are organic and open pollinated.
Growing Instructions
Stinging Nettle seeds may be started in pots in the spring, or directly sown into the ground in the autumn. If sown indoors, it's good to cold stratify them in the refrigerator for a couple weeks before planting them in a sterile growing medium; most available seed starting soils should do the job nicely; we use sunshine mix (peat moss and perlite). The soil should be made moist, but not damp. Sow the seeds 1/8 inch below the soil surface. Store in a warm area until tiny sprouts emerge from the soil. Once germinated, and the first true leaf has formed, it's time to pot up to a larger container that contains a good quality potting soil. Transplant to their final location when the nighttime temperatures are consistently 6°C or higher. Once transplanted and established, These plants will live for many years assuming you live in zone 3 or warmer. The plants don’t require very much attention once established other than yearly mulching, a bi-weekly watering, and a clipping back to the ground in the winter. These plants are quite vigorous, and once established, just a small patch of plants can provide you with a full winter supply of medicinal tea. Stinging Nettle is resistant to deer, pests, drought, and flood; It’s a very robust plant.