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Stinging Nettle Seeds
About...
Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica) - Stinging Nettle is found growing all across North America and especially in moist, forested soil. If you have experienced the pain of a Stinging Nettle plant, wisdom would tell you to avoid it. But, this perennial, often grown from herb seeds, is used as a medicinal herb, and it is used in the kitchen as well where cooking will remove the stinging effect of the leaves.MORE HERB OPTIONS
Flower Specifications
SEASON
Perennial
USDA ZONES
3 - 10
HEIGHT
24 - 36 inches
BLOOM SEASON
Late spring to late summer
BLOOM COLOR
Green
ENVIRONMENT
Full sun to partial shade
SOIL TYPE
Nitrogen-rich, moist soils that drain well
DEER RESISTANT
Yes
LATIN NAME
Urtica Dioica
Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica) - Stinging Nettle is found growing all across North America and especially in moist, forested soil. If you have experienced the pain of a Stinging Nettle plant, wisdom would tell you to avoid it. But, this perennial, often grown from herb seeds, is used as a medicinal herb, and it is used in the kitchen as well where cooking will remove the stinging effect of the leaves.
Culinary benefits
Stinging Nettle is considered to be more nutritious in iron than spinach. For the best flavor and nutrition, harvest only the top 4 - 5 inches of the Stinging Nettle plant. Harvest before the plant flowers.
Herb seed | stinging nettle
How to grow
How To Grow Stinging Nettle From Seed: Stinging Nettle seeds are small, and they are easier to work with if they are mixed with some garden sand. Some gardeners recommend that the herb seeds have a cold treatment before germinating. If starting the seeds indoors, freeze the herb seeds for several weeks before sowing the Stinging Nettle seeds. Cover the starter trays or pots with a plastic dome or plastic wrap to help keep the moisture high.
Once the seedlings are 3 - 4 inches in height, transplant them to the herb garden. Or directly sow the Stinging Nettle seeds outdoors in the late fall so that the herb seeds can freeze through the winter. The plants can be invasive, so it is best to contain it to an area and not let it go to seed. Always wear gloves when working with the plant.
- Sowing Rate: 7 - 10 seeds per plant
- Average Germ Time: 10 - 14 days
- Keep moist until germination
- Attracts bumblebees
- Depth: Surface sow, do not bury
Plant History
Stinging Nettle herb plants have a long history as a medicinal herb. During medieval times it was used as a diuretic, to treat joint pain, and muscle pain. Today, Stinging Nettle root is used by some to treat urinary problems related to an enlarged prostate, and some use it for the relief of arthritis pain.
- Height: 24 - 36 inches
- USDA Zones: 3 - 10
- Season: Perennial
- Deer Resistant: Yes
Planting Directions
TEMPERATURE
65F
AVERAGE GERM TIME
10 - 14 days
LIGHT REQUIRED
Yes
DEPTH
Surface sow seed and do not bury
SOWING RATE
7 - 10 seeds per plant
MOISTURE
Keep seeds moist until germination
PLANT SPACING
15 - 18 inches
Flower Specifications
SEASON
Perennial
USDA ZONES
5 - 8
HEIGHT
24 - 36 inches
BLOOM SEASON
Late spring through summer
BLOOM COLOR
Mix
ENVIRONMENT
Full sun
SOIL TYPE
Well-drained, pH 5.8 - 6.8
DEER RESISTANT
Yes
LATIN NAME
Verbascum Phoenicium
Verbascum (Verbascum Phoenicium Hybrids Mix) - This free flowering mix grown from Verbascum seeds will give your garden weeks of lovely colors. Commonly called Purple Mullein, this plant has dark green, crinkly leaves and beautiful spikes of papery-thin, round 5 - petaled blooms in shades of white, rose, and violet. The Purple Mullein plant starts blooming from the bottom of the spike and proceeds upward, opening one by one. Mullein flowers look lovely in a mixed border, and they can bloom from late spring up until the first frost. It is both deer and rabbit resistant, and butterflies love it! Verbascum flowers are excellent for cutting as well. Also considered to be a medicinal herb, the Mullein herb has diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, and antiseptic properties.
How To Grow Mullein From Seed: Plant Mullein seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the Verbascum flower seeds into the soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow Purple Mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 18 - 24 inches apart. Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming.