Nettles, Stinging (Urtica dioica) seeds, organic
$3.95 – $44.10
Family: Nettles (Urticaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 9
Herbaceous perennial. Flowers to 5 feet tall. Nettles are dioecious, meaning that the plants are either male or female. Not self-fertile, as both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required, and seed will occur on female plants only. Native to temperate climates world-wide. Official variety. In the early spring find Chickweed overrunning the rich garden beds, Dandelion in the upland pastures, Dock in the lower pastures, Watercress where the stream runs cold into a pool and Nettles along the edge of the stream. All wild spring vegetables. Wait until the little Nettles are four inches high or so, and snip them off. They must be lightly steamed to disarm their stinging hairs. Eat the Nettles, and drink the water in which they were steamed. Traditional usage (TWM): Allergies, builds blood. Source of trace minerals, potassium and the blood-like molecule known as chlorophyll. Plant prefers moist soil in sun or shade. This seed will germinate in cold soils (slowly) or in warm soils (quickly). Nettles is very easy to grow from seeds–sprinkle on the surface, press in firmly, keep moist and in the light, and watch the magic happen. Thin or transplant to 1 to 2 feet apart. Nettles grows best in a nitrogen-rich soil.
Packet contains 200 seeds
1 g contains ~3,500 seeds
5 g contains ~17,500 seeds
10 g contains ~35,000 seeds
Certified Organically Grown
Question
kelebecs (verified owner) –
Can the nettles be grown in a pot?
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Richo Cech –
hi keleb, nettles are very easy to grow, they grow readily in a pot, richo
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Terrie –
I live in zone 8 b, grays Harbor County Washington,, I would love to start some seeds And plant them out this but I’m wondering is it too late this spring if I start the seeds as soon as I get them, should I keep them in pots and plant them out in the fall? Or do I need to wait till next year
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Richo Cech –
Hi Terrie, Thanks for contacting. It isn’t too late, you can do this now. The seeds are small, you are right, starting in pots and transplanting is a good way to go. Nettles are water and nitrogen lovers, and will grow fast if given these elements. I do think there’s a misconception about “spring nettles” making people think that they can only use the plant in the spring. In reality it is a cut-and-come-again herb that is best harvested when short and tender. This can occur any time during the growing season, depending on when you plant the seeds and when you cut back the overmature growth. I am a Pisces with a Taurus moon rising. I never wait for. . . anything. Richo
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Christina –
Hi Richo, I’ve been growing a few different herbs in a countertop hydroponic system and would love to add nettles to my wee water garden. Do you know if the seeds will be happy in this kind of setup? My basil sure is! I’ve never seen anything quite like what IT’S doing!!!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Christina,
Nettles often grows in shallow water or muck–it will do great in hydroponics.
Richo
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Christina –
Yay! Thank you so much. I’m excited about countertop nettles!!
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Question
DAwn Wait (verified owner) –
Richo, could I plant in end of September or wait til spring, the seeds of stinging nettle? We don’t have a creek but could raise a bed kept moist if that is enough? Thank you
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Richo Cech –
hi dawn, thanks for writing. in the colder zones 6 and under, probably best to sow in spring. warmer zones 7 and up can fall sow to get a jump on it. r
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Question
kcb3 –
Can I purchase this summer and sow the seeds inmid winder to transplant out?
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Richo Cech –
yes
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Question
Dave S. –
What does it mean “Stinging” ?
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Richo Cech –
hi dave, that’s the common name of the plant, “stinging nettles.” The plant has hollow hairs that act like little hypodermic needles and inject the unwary with formic acid. the experience is generally considered uncomfortable but temporary. meanwhile this plant is a well-respected food and medicinal herb. r
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VICTORIA Ann FONSECA –
Can you use these seeds for making tea instead of planting them
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Richo Cech –
hi victoria, these are clean and untreated, organically certified seeds. a packet isn’t going to make much tea, though! r
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letsgobrandon512 –
Are these good for a compost blended with comfrey for the vegtable garden?
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Richo Cech –
hi, i’ve been thinking about this recently because the organic certifiers just disallowed dried kelp as an organic ingredient. nettles, as a source of diverse micronutrients, would be a kind of terrestrial substitute. but spendy in terms of time and futzing–a sack of ground kelp used to be easy–you can put comfrey in your compost pile, you can put nettles in your compost pile, you can make nettles tea to alleviate chlorosis and improve sap flow in perennials, vines and trees–it has its uses for sure–but here’s the thing–if you have nettles the primary use would be as a human food and nutritional supplement–many of us aren’t going to have enough of it to sacrifice to the compost pile–but if you do, then, great! r
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Question
Sue –
What zone is north Georgia 30534?
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Richo Cech –
you’re in a zone 7
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Steve –
Are these European Nettle?
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Richo Cech –
hi steve, they’re american nettles. r
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Alvin –
Is there a map of the zones? Can it be grown in hot, dry climates? Maybe indoors?
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Richo Cech –
hi alvin, here’s a link to the usda zone map https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
regarding growing nettles inside, this can be done on a windowsill, but they do best outdoors, and will definitely grow in hot and dry climates in the sun to shade. they are heavy nitrogen users and will need to be watered. r
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Dennis Hammers (verified owner) –
Hi! This might seem like a silly question but, how do you keep nettles from getting out of control and keep them semi-orderly? Thanks
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Richo Cech –
limiting the spread of nettles involves not doing. don’t fertilize, don’t water, and the nettles will go away. r
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Question
Kendra (verified owner) –
Do nettles require cold stratification
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Richo Cech –
hi kendra, if you double-click on the photo its going to give you the monograph that contain s all the pertinent germ info. anyhow these are a standard warm soil geriminator. don’t put them on a heatpad or anything like that, just plant them in a tray in the greenhouse. they come right up. r
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Amy KOUSCH –
Nettles patches are springing up everywhere…I have been growing SMS nettles nursery stock for three years and slinging to the hungry garden folks. And thank goodness for us hungry garden folk. Popular with medicinal gardeners and even more popular with my lymph system.
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jaki –
If you live in a city and have a gate you don’t use: good place for nettles to act as crime deterrent. I had “chronic fatigue” that was actually anemia. It didn’t show in blood labs until one day it finally did. Nettles cured it and every time I feel tired now, it solves fatigue. I love taste, but at first I had to add a sweet, freeze dried ginger tea to make it palatable.
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K –
Makes great pesto! blanch for 30 seconds, add to food processor with lemon peel, raw cashews, olive oil, salt, parmesan, pepper.
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Question
Jake Goodson –
Is this the Native to Europe urtica dioica ssp. dioica variety or the native to North America urtica dioica ssp. gracilis variety? Thanks.
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Richo Cech –
Hi Jake, The subspecies designation on nettles is a contested subject. The main differentiating factor between true medicinal nettles and lookalikes is the sting. If it stings, you’re in. We used to carry a different species (urens) but now carry only dioica. From the ABC website: While the American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed., narrowly defines stinging nettle as a subspecies (U. dioica subsp. dioica), the European Pharmacopoeia does not make such a distinction. Version 1.1 of The Plant List states that U. dioica subsp. dioica is a synonym of U. dioica. The taxonomy of U. dioica remains controversial, as demonstrated by the conflicting information in Herbs of Commerce and The Plant List. There is also some disagreement about the classification of U. dioica subsp. gracilis (California nettle). Many authors (likely incorrectly) state that U. dioica (or subspecies) is native to the Americas and eastern Asia. While older literature suggests that U. dioica is native throughout the entire Holarctic region (non-tropical parts of Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America), new taxonomic research calls this into question, suggesting that, for example, American species are distinct and should be removed from U. dioica and placed instead into U. gracilis as the “New World-sister” to U. dioica. In particular, it is proposed that U. dioica subsp. gracilis be changed to U. gracilis subsp. gracilis.
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Question
Linda MacCulloch –
Can we grow nette in zone 7a and zone 10
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Richo Cech –
hi linda, these are listed for zones 4 to 9 so zone 10 is a bit hot for them. Choose a moist, shady spot and cut them back frequently and you can grow them in a Z 10. nettles like moist soil and a lot of nitrogen. richo
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Question
Kea –
Hi there
Does Stinging Nettle leaf grow pretty well in a Zone 5B area?
Thank you
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Richo Cech –
Hello Kea,
Yes, it does.
Richo
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Question
Magdalena K. Nopper –
Hi there, can these seeds be taken as a supplement also?
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Richo Cech –
no, the quantities we’re selling here are too small to fulfill the needs of supplement takers
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Jenny (verified owner) –
Hi Richo, going off of this question I wanted to ask new growth in the fall would be safe for consumption as it is not “mature.” Thank you!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Jenny,
Traditional wisdom is that nettles are an herb of spring, meaning that the new growth is what is used. Older growth will contain cystoliths that are not friendly to kidneys and bladder. I seem to remember that this thread contained a comment from someone who tried to overwinter nettles indoors. Instead my recommendation would be to put the plant outdoors, in a moist, shady place with rich soil, a nook in shade garden or woodlands where the nettles can grow, be available for herbal use but not be a nuisance (like by stinging someone unexpectedly). Watch the spot in the spring and when the new growth reaches 6 inches or so, cut it back to the crown and use that herb for drying to make tea or tincture. When the plant sends up more new growth, you can harvest that, too. If the plant gets up knee high or so, then you can cut it back, mulch the crown with the stems and leaves, and wait for young, tender growth to push up through, and again harvest that for herbal use if you want, even if the season is fall. In other words, just use the new growth, whether from first show in the spring or from regrowth after cutting back or if the plant has naturally fallen over and created new growth from the base. Hope that makes sense. To give back to the nettles, and make sure it doesn’t go away from all that cutting, fertilize with composted chicken manure and water well with well water or, well, any water including wild water that wells up or falls from the sky or water from a wishing well. I wish you well. Richo
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Question
CW –
Hello! Are these male seeds that can create their own pollen?
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Richo Cech –
Hi CW,
Nettles are dioecious, meaning that the plants are either male or female. They are not self-fertile, as both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Male plants will have pollen but not make seeds and female plants will produce flowers and make seeds. The seeds themselves will grow into either male or female plants.
Richo
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Richo Cech –
Right, they are fine for tea making right now. If you keep them cut back they probably won’t flower. Our’s are in full flower now in July. r
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Monica (verified owner) –
Hello,
I was surprised to read in your book Plant Medicine this caveat about nettles “Avoid internal use of stinging nettle products made of mature leaf (summer or fall) due to presence of tiny cystoliths… that may irritate the kidneys.” Is this right?? That would seem to suggest one could only use spring leaves. I have bought your seed, have some vibrant nettle plants and was enjoying nettle tea.
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Richo Cech –
Hi Monica, The best approach is to avoid using nettles internally once they have matured and made flower/seedheads. Richo
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Chris B. (verified owner) –
I think these are probably the first round of tiny seed that actually grew after seeding. Didn’t even use the best soil for seeding them in (see picture). Picture is shortly before splitting them apart into 4 separate pots. They took this early transplant well. Looking forward to some fried eggs with nettle greens a couple years down the road 🙂
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