How to Grow Stinging Nettle (Without Getting Stung)

Stinging nettle

Sources: Iowa State Extension, SARE nettle primer, Oregon State Extension, Outsidepride. Heights: 24 to 36 inches (Outsidepride); 4 to 6 feet (Iowa State); 3 to 7 feet (a Pacific Northwest guide).

Overview

Nettle leaves work in almost any recipe that calls for spinach or kale, once they’re properly prepared (blanching is one way), says Oregon State Extension. Dried, they make tea. The catch is the sting, and keeping the plant where you put it.

1. Start it from seed or a root division.
2. Grow it in its own pot, away from paths where kids and pets brush past (our advice). Our Start Your First Medicinal Herb Garden guide covers containers and drainage.
3. Wear gloves and long sleeves when you pick or handle raw nettle.
4. Pick the young tops in early spring, before it flowers.
5. Blanch or dry it before you eat it. Oregon State says that makes it safe to eat. First make sure it’s Urtica dioica (how to identify it).
6. Check the safety notes before you drink or eat it, especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have been told to limit fluids, take any medicine, or are giving it to a child.

Which nettle to grow

This guide covers stinging nettle, Urtica dioica. Iowa State notes there are several subspecies. Minnesota Wildflowers says one is native to most of North America, and another is native to Europe.

Our advice: buy seed or plants labeled “Urtica dioica.” Wood nettle is a different plant (see the look-alike).

Where to plant stinging nettle

Give nettle moist, rich soil and some sun. “Grow nettles in full sun to partial shade for the greatest yield,” says the SARE nettle primer, a USDA-funded growers’ guide. It adds: “Nettles thrive best in moist and fertile soils. Maintain moist soils during harvest season.”

SARE calls for soil high in organic matter (4 to 5 percent) with a pH of 5.0 to 8.0. The seed seller Outsidepride lists USDA zones 3 to 10.

Keep it clear of traffic, too. A Pacific Northwest guide says to harvest nettles “away from roads, agricultural spray or industrial sites,” because they can absorb pollutants from the soil. We’d plant it away from the driveway and street.

How to grow stinging nettle from seed

Nettle seed goes in at or near the surface. Outsidepride covers it with “no more than 1/16 inch of soil.” Neither seed source we used calls for cold stratification, so we’d skip it. SARE reports that in test situations, plants grown from seed started spreading in their first growing season (see Keeping nettle from spreading).

Sowing nettle seeds outdoors

Hands-on time: about 10 minutes.

1. Pick your season. SARE sows in spring. Outsidepride sows in early spring after frost, or in fall.
2. Prepare the spot. We’d rake a patch of moist soil, or fill a pot.
3. Sow thickly and press the seed in. Outsidepride suggests about 7 to 10 seeds per square inch. SARE presses the seed lightly into the surface or covers it with a very thin layer of soil. We’d use a dusting at most.
4. Keep it damp. Outsidepride says “consistently moist but not waterlogged.”
5. Thin the seedlings to 8 inches apart, as SARE suggests.

Check: seedlings in about 14 days (SARE) or 10 to 14 days (Outsidepride).

Starting nettle seeds indoors

SARE’s method is to seed flats in a greenhouse in late winter and transplant in early spring.

Our advice for doing this at home: sow in flats indoors, press the seed onto damp seed-starting mix, and keep it moist. Harden off the seedlings before they go out, then plant them 8 inches apart or into a pot.

Growing nettle from a root division

SARE says to “dig up transplants in late fall,” since perennials like nettle prefer to be planted while dormant. Its root section adds that living rhizomes can be used “if harvested in the fall or spring.”

Our advice: get a potted start from a nursery, or bare rhizomes (the underground runners) from a friend’s patch. Plant a potted start at the depth it was growing, as our garden guide does for nursery plants. Wear gloves. If it has no label, check it against How to identify stinging nettle before you eat any.

SARE’s steps for bare rhizomes (hands-on time: about 15 minutes):

1. Rehydrate the rhizomes.
2. Divide them, if you like.
3. Pot them up or plant them out, and cover lightly with soil.
4. Water them in.
5. Mulch, if you like.

SARE also says to “prune back most of the leafy growth” when you move rhizomes, and to space plants 8 inches apart.

Check: we’d look for new shoots in spring.

How to grow stinging nettle in a pot

Oregon State calls nettles “easy to grow in your backyard or in containers.” No nettle source gives a pot size, so this section is our advice.

• Pot: a big one, on its own. Our Start Your First Medicinal Herb Garden guide gives peppermint “12 inches minimum, always alone.” Give nettle the same, with drainage holes and no gravel layer.
• Where: not by the kitchen door, where the garden guide likes its pots. Pick a spot where kids, pets, and bare legs won’t brush past. Set the pot on paving, so rhizomes can’t root through the holes. If you have pets that chew plants, ask your vet (safety notes).
• Soil: the garden guide’s compost mix suits nettle, which SARE says thrives in moist, fertile soil.
• Water: the garden guide waters its five herbs once the top inch dries. Nettle likes it wetter, so keep the mix evenly moist.
• Repotting: when rhizomes fill the pot, divide them in fall or spring, wearing gloves.

Keeping nettle from spreading

SARE puts the problem plainly: “A rhizome planted in the later summer can spread up to four feet in all directions by the following year.”

1. Grow it in a pot, as above. In a bed, our advice is to sink a bottomless pot as a barrier, the way our peppermint guide contains mint.
2. Use a hard edge. For farm plantings, SARE suggests spots with “at least one hard edge,” such as existing rock.
3. Cut the seed heads. SARE says to “cut the flowering seed heads in the fall to reduce the spread of the patch.” We’d cut them before the seed ripens. Wear gloves and long sleeves, because the hairs sting (handling).

Is stinging nettle invasive?

SARE says it “is considered a weed by many agriculturalists due to its ability to spread vigorously and create new colonies.” Iowa State notes it’s “typically found in dense patches due to its spread by rhizomes.”

We haven’t checked your state’s weed list, so ask your local extension office before you plant it in the ground.

How to handle nettle without getting stung

With the right gear, nettle is easy to harvest; a Pacific Northwest guide calls harvesting “easy and pain free with the right tools.” Oregon State explains the sting: “The tiny hairs found on stinging nettles, called trichomes, contain chemicals that produce a stinging sensation on the skin that can last for hours or cause blisters.”

Gloves, clothes, and tools

“Wear long sleeves, long pants and long rubber kitchen gloves when gathering nettles,” says Oregon State. SARE adds closed-toe shoes. For tools, Oregon State recommends sharp scissors and a paper bag or basket.

When nettle stops stinging

SARE says, “The plant can be handled without risk of stinging after cooking, drying, crushing, or blending.” That doesn’t mean crushing raw leaves in your bare hands. The Pacific Northwest guide still calls for gloves to strip dried stalks.

Our advice: keep your gloves on until the leaves are cooked or fully dry.

If you get stung

Most stings fade on their own. The Washington Poison Center says the hairs “produce burning, itching, and inflammation of the skin,” which may last for several hours. It adds: “Most exposures are treated with topical lotions and resolve within hours.”

Health New Zealand advises: “Wash the area with soap and water as soon as possible to relieve the sting and remove the nettle hairs.”

A moistened cloth or an ice pack can relieve pain and itching. Don’t scratch or rub. Antihistamines and hydrocortisone creams from a pharmacy may help. Health New Zealand also says, “Symptoms usually go away on their own within a few days.”

If you reach for a pain reliever, don’t give aspirin to anyone 18 or younger, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome (Health New Zealand).

Get medical help right away for any of the signs Health New Zealand lists: loss of coordination, faintness, tremor, muscle weakness, breathing problems, swelling under the skin, or abdominal pain. It also says to see a doctor for “significant skin itching or rash that is not resolving with home treatment.”

In the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 to talk through treatment (Washington Poison Center).

How to identify stinging nettle

Check these features:

• Leaves: “Leaves are opposite, lance-shaped with a rounded base, and have coarse teeth on the margin” (Iowa State). Minnesota Wildflowers gives a length of 3 to 6 inches.
• Stems: “four-angled and covered with hairs, some of which contain a toxin” (Iowa State), “squarish in cross section” (Minnesota Wildflowers).
• Flowers: “formed in elongated clusters in upper leaf axils” (Iowa State), in late spring or early summer (SARE).
• Patches: dense, because it spreads by rhizomes (Iowa State). For height, see the note under the table at the top.

Stinging nettle look-alike: wood nettle

Iowa State says wood nettle “is similar in growth habit, but the leaves are arranged alternately,” and it “has fewer stinging hairs.” Minnesota Wildflowers says it’s “similar, if not worse in contact, but is easily distinguished by its broadly oval shaped leaves.”

Both sting, so wear gloves for either. The extension and field-guide sources we used name only wood nettle as a look-alike. Other plants with “nettle” in their names aren’t covered here.

How to harvest stinging nettle

When to harvest stinging nettle

Young spring tops are the prize.

• Oregon State: “Gather them early in the morning in early spring, before the plant flowers.” For less bitterness, it suggests leaves no wider than 3 inches from plants no taller than 3 feet. “Once flowers appear, greens become tough, with a less desirable taste.”
• Pacific Northwest guide: greens from February to April, when plants are 4 to 10 inches tall. For tea, “early through late spring before they flower.”
• SARE: leaves in early spring, when they’re small and tender. “To increase leaf production, harvest repeatedly.”

How to harvest nettle tops

Hands-on time: about 10 minutes.

1. Make sure it’s stinging nettle (see How to identify stinging nettle).
2. Put on gloves, long sleeves, and long pants.
3. Cut the tops with kitchen shears ad . Oregon State says, “Clip right above the node at an angle so the stem does not become waterlogged.” Leave a few leaves at the base so the plant keeps growing, as the Pacific Northwest guide advises.
4. Drop the tops into a paper bag or basket, as Oregon State suggests.

Check: every stem you cut still has leaves at the base.

Cutting back for a second harvest

The Pacific Northwest guide says nettles “may re-sprout in fall when the days are the same length as spring and can be harvested again.”

Our advice: before the plants flower, cut them back with gloves and long sleeves on (handling), then pick the new tops as they regrow. No source we used gives a cutting height or date, so we don’t either.

How to process stinging nettle

Blanching or drying takes the sting out. “Dry or blanch nettles before use to make them safe to eat,” says Oregon State. For handling, see When nettle stops stinging.

How to blanch nettles

Oregon State’s steps (hands-on time: about 10 minutes):

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Wearing gloves, stir in the nettles, keeping the water boiling.
2. Cover tightly and boil for 1½ to 2 minutes.
3. Move the nettles to an ice bath for 1 minute, drain, and roll them up between two towels.

Our advice: lift them out with kitchen tongs ad , as Oregon State’s pesto recipe does. You’ll know they’re done when the leaves are limp.

Oregon State says about 4 to 5 cups of fresh nettles make about 1 cup blanched, and its guide includes a nettle soup recipe.

How to dry nettles

• Oregon State’s tray method: rinse the leaves and spread them in a single layer on a drying tray using tongs. “Dry at 95° to 115° F until crisp.”
• Hang method (Pacific Northwest guide): don’t rinse. Gather clean plants on a dry day. Bundle four to six stalks and hang them upside down in a dark, dry place, or dry them in a paper bag, turning it every few days. Strip the leaves with gloves once they’re “completely dry and crunchy.” We’d tie the bundles with kitchen twine ad (the guide uses a rubber band).
• Our drying guide: our guide to drying herbs uses 95 to 105°F for leaves in a food dehydrator ad . Its oven method uses 95 to 110°F, or just the oven light.

How to make nettle tea

No source we used says steeping takes the sting out of fresh leaves. So our advice is to use dried nettle, not fresh, and skip the tea guide’s tip to tear or crush fresh leaves.

Make, strain, and serve the tea as in our hot infusion guide. Its ratio for dried herbs is about 1 tablespoon per cup of water.

Before you drink it: EU monographs don’t recommend nettle if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you’ve been told to limit fluids (as with severe heart or kidney disease). Don’t use it if you’re allergic to it. Ask your doctor or pharmacist first if you take any medicine, and your pediatrician before giving it to a child (safety notes).

Storing nettle

• Dried: Oregon State recommends airtight containers in a dark, cool place, labeled and dated. “Dried herbs are best to use within 6 months or placed in freezer up to 1 year.” A glass jar with a tight lid ad works.
• Frozen: Oregon State suggests freezing blanched nettles in a single layer on a tray, then moving them to airtight containers. For nettle frozen in ice-cube trays, it says to use them within 1 year.

Traditional uses

Oregon State says, “Native Indigenous peoples have gathered stinging nettles since time immemorial.” It notes they’re used in medicine and ceremony and as food. “Mature fibrous stems have been used to make rope, cloth and fishing net,” it adds.

Iowa State says, “Nettles have long been used as a food and as a herbal remedy.”

The European Medicines Agency has monographs for nettle leaf, nettle herb, and nettle root. The leaf and herb monographs cover Urtica dioica and its relative Urtica urens. They accept products, including tea, as traditional herbal medicines, “exclusively based upon long-standing use.” This guide doesn’t go into their listed uses, and it doesn’t cover the root.

Parts used

This guide covers the young leafy tops, not the roots, seeds, or stems, though Oregon State notes those are edible too.

Common preparations

Every one of these has you drink or eat nettle. EU monographs don’t recommend it if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you’ve been told to limit fluids (as with severe heart or kidney disease). Ask your doctor or pharmacist first if you take any medicine, and your pediatrician before giving it to a child (safety notes).

• Tea: see How to make nettle tea.
• Nettle vinegar: start from dried nettle and follow our herbal vinegar guide, which fills the jar about ¼ full with dried herbs. Same cautions as the tea (safety notes).
• Oxymel: start from dried nettle and follow our oxymel guide, using its ¼-jar ratio for dried herbs. Skip its step to chop or bruise fresh herbs. Never give honey to a child under 1 (CDC). Same cautions as the tea (safety notes).
• Cooking: make sure it’s Urtica dioica (how to identify it), blanch it first, then use it like spinach. Same cautions as the tea (safety notes).

Companion and garden notes

Like peppermint, nettle spreads by rhizomes, so their pots can sit side by side.

Safety notes

These notes are about drinking or eating nettle, not growing it. They come from the nettle page of Memorial Sloan Kettering (a New York cancer center) and the European Medicines Agency’s nettle leaf and herb monographs. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) has no nettle entry in its Herbs at a Glance. The EU cautions cover licensed nettle leaf and herb products, which can be made from Urtica dioica or Urtica urens.

For stings, see If you get stung. Before you eat any, make sure your plant is Urtica dioica (see How to identify stinging nettle).

Pregnant or breastfeeding: both monographs say, “Safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been established. In the absence of sufficient data, the use during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended.” Ask your doctor or midwife before you drink it.

Children: for leaf products, the leaf monograph says use under 12 “is not recommended.” For nettle herb tea, the herb monograph says use under 18 “is not recommended.” Ask your pediatrician.

Who should avoid it: don’t use it if you’re allergic to it. The leaf monograph lists a contraindication: “Condition where a reduced fluid intake is recommended (e.g. severe cardiac or renal disease).” The herb monograph says nettle herb is “not recommended for patients with conditions where reduced fluid intake is advised.”

Side effects: the leaf monograph says, “Mild gastrointestinal complaints (e.g. nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) and skin reactions (e.g. itching, exanthema, hives) may occur. The frequency is not known.” (Exanthema is a rash.) The herb monograph lists nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, plus allergic itching, rash, and hives, and it also says the frequency is not known. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s case reports include “enlarged breasts in a man and nipple discharge in a woman” with nettle tea intake.

Medicines:

• Memorial Sloan Kettering says not to take nettle if you take CYP450 substrate drugs (medicines broken down by a group of enzymes called CYP450), or diuretics or blood pressure drugs. It bases this on animal studies and says, “Clinical relevance has yet to be determined.”
• Both EU monographs list interactions as “None reported.” That isn’t proof there are none.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering’s nettle page and the European Medicines Agency’s leaf and herb monographs don’t list blood thinners or diabetes medicines as interactions.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering’s case reports also include one of low blood sugar in an older man after an herbal remedy containing nettle.
• NCCIH says you “should talk with your health care providers about all dietary supplements and medications you take.”
• Our advice: ask your doctor or pharmacist before drinking nettle if you take any medicine, including blood thinners, diabetes or blood pressure medicine, or water pills. Your pharmacist can also tell you whether a medicine is a CYP450 substrate.

Pets: no ASPCA listing for nettle turned up. If you have pets that chew plants, ask your vet.

Finally, both monographs note: “Tests on reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have not been performed.”

Give nettle a big pot, moist soil, and a pair of gloves, and it comes back every spring.

Planning the rest of your patio? Start your first medicinal herb garden walks you through pots, drainage, and light. Only have a shadier corner? Nettle grows in partial shade too (SARE), so we’d put it there.

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