Stinging nettle is the food gardeners, best mate. Loaded to the brim with minerals and vitamins, at service to the plant kingdom entire, and you and I also – a little wilted nettle with a fried egg is a fine spring breakfast.
Amazing at anytime in its cycle for foliar feeds, but when nettle is gearing up to seed, as in the photo above, the silica content rises. Use it now for a brew that will strengthen foliage, priming it in time for summer disease. Both in the vegie patch and orchard. Add it to your regular biological liquid feeds.
Make tea
Gather enough nettles to fill a 10litre bucket with herb, pack it in. Boil a pot of water and pour it over the herb, then top the bucket up with unchlorinated water.
Leave it in a warm, sunny spot – I use the greenhouse during cooler weather. Sit a lid loosely on it. Give it a stir every day when you are out doing chores.
It’s ready to use when it stops bubbling which takes anywhere from 7 to 14 days – slower when its cooler.
When it’s ready, filter it into a clean bucket through a sack or some such to remove any little bits so you don’t block the sprayer up. Empty the sieved out bits onto your compost pile or around deserving plants.
Store the nettle juice in a dark cool place and use it up by Autumn.
Use this same method for any herbal brew.
A power liquid feed
Add a couple of cups to your backpack sprayer along with EM + Seaweed + Comfrey and shower the orchard and vegie garden with cell strengthening goodness. Especially useful when crops are under par or disease pressure is high in an inclement season.
Once your garden gets a roll on, a little pick me up at key times is really all it needs. And one day perhaps not even that.