Search - Articles

Learn how to turn clumps of stinging nettles to your advantage, by turning them into nitrogen-rich, liquid plant food, in Rachel de Thame's video guide.sping-summerMore tips on nettles and feeding plantsRemoving stinging nettles from your garden

.Deep rooted plants such as buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) bring nutrients from the subsoil, while leguminous manures like clover (Trifolium sp.) carry nodules on their roots, which fix nitrogen in the earth. In spring, a couple of weeks before you start

wildlife, they can be made into great plant food and are a surprisingly versatile ingredient in the kitchen.The nettle we're used to in the UK is Urtica dioica, a perennial plant full of iron, calcium, magnesium and nitrogen, which makes it incredibly

m tall, though. I'm still not sure how I'll stake an 8m tall plant.)I haven't done anything special with my sunflowers yet, I've only watered them. Now I'm upping my game: this weekend I'll be harvesting nettles to make a nitrogen-rich feed, which I

, they will not thrive in sodden soils - decent drainage is essential. As with any other plant, get them off to a good start by incorporating plenty of organic material, such as home-made compost. Oriental poppies will appreciate a small amount of fertiliser, but don

generous mulch of compost. Despite getting such little sun, the wall warms up quickly, so should keep plants warm at night, aiding growth. All plants will be given a weekly nitrogen-rich nettle feed to encourage stem and leaf growth. I'll stake them from

Group) 'Beauty of Livermere' (pictured, above). This variety is similar to the wild P. orientale var. bracteatum, a plant of sun-baked Turkish slopes. Foliage appears early in the year, making neat rosettes. It is overtaken by spring plnts