Organically grown at KoruKai Herb Farm, New Zealand, without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or other agrochemicals.
Stinging Nettle is one of the world's most respected medicinal and edible herbs. For thousands of years it has been valued as a nourishing food, a traditional herbal remedy, a mineral-rich garden fertiliser, a compost activator, livestock fodder, and a source of natural fibre. Once established, it is one of the most productive perennial plants you can grow, providing abundant harvests of young shoots every spring and summer.
At KoruKai Herb Farm, Stinging Nettle is one of our favourite plants. We value it so highly for its nutritional, medicinal, and ecological benefits that a nettle leaf is proudly featured in our KoruKai logo.
Growing Conditions
Stinging Nettle is an exceptionally hardy perennial that thrives throughout most of New Zealand.
It grows best in partial shade or dappled sunlight with fertile, moisture-retentive soil rich in organic matter. Although it tolerates a wide range of soil types and conditions, it performs best where adequate moisture is available during summer.
Mature plants typically grow 1–1.5 metres tall and spread by vigorous underground rhizomes that gradually form dense, productive colonies. Once established, the rhizomes can spread rapidly, making nettle ideal for dedicated herb gardens, food forests, or less-managed areas of the property where it has room to naturalise.
Please note that Urtica dioica is considered a weed species in parts of New Zealand, including parts of Otago. We strongly recommend harvesting plants before they flower and produce seed, both to maintain high-quality edible growth and to prevent unwanted spread. Always check your local regional council regulations before planting.
Growing Instructions
Your order includes three dormant rhizomes, each approximately 20 cm long, with multiple healthy growing buds.
Plant the rhizomes as soon as possible after arrival.
Close up of two growing nodes with tiny shoots ready to spring forth in spring, like the buds on a tree in winter. Make sure to plant them horizontally and do not bury them too deeply.
Choose a site with loose, compost-rich soil. Scrape away approximately 3 cm of soil and lay the rhizomes horizontally, ensuring any visible growing tips face upward. Cover with 3–5 cm of soil, water thoroughly, and apply a light mulch of straw, woodchips, or autumn leaves.
Mark the planting area carefully. Newly planted rhizomes can attract curious birds, so placing a few branches over the site or covering it with bird netting will help prevent disturbance until the plants emerge.
If planting is delayed or the ground is frozen, pot the rhizomes into moist, compost-rich potting mix and transplant them into the garden when conditions improve.
Depending on your climate, fresh shoots usually emerge between August and October.
Within a few years, the underground rhizomes will develop into a productive patch capable of supplying abundant harvests every season.
At the end of winter our plants usually look like those seedlings below, with the fresh shoots growing through the dry stalks from the previous season.
Harvesting
Always wear gloves when harvesting fresh nettles to avoid the stinging hairs.
Harvest the young shoots while they are tender and before flowering for the best flavour and highest nutritional value.
At KoruKai Herb Farm, we cut the stems to approximately 10 cm above ground level. Healthy plants quickly regenerate from the base, often producing a second harvest later in the season.
Regular harvesting encourages fresh, vigorous growth and helps prevent flowering and seed production.
Cooking, drying, or blanching completely neutralises the stinging hairs, making the leaves safe to handle and enjoy.
Medicinal Uses*
Often referred to as a nutritive herb, Stinging Nettle is exceptionally rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, chlorophyll, amino acids, and plant compounds that nourish the body.
Traditionally, nettle has been used to support:
- Healthy joints and normal inflammatory responses.
- Seasonal allergies such as hay fever.
- Kidney and urinary tract function.
- Healthy circulation.
- Iron levels and general vitality.
- Hair, skin, and nail health.
The leaves are particularly rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, and many B vitamins, together with calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, sulphur, and numerous antioxidant compounds including chlorophyll, lutein, and beta-carotene.
Young spring leaves are among the most nutrient-dense wild vegetables available and have been treasured as a restorative spring tonic throughout Europe for centuries.
A Wonderful Garden Plant
Stinging Nettle is far more than a medicinal herb.
Its deep root system mines valuable minerals from the soil, making it one of the finest plants for producing nutrient-rich compost and liquid fertilisers.
Fresh stems can be chopped and used as a nutrient-rich mulch around vegetables, fruit trees, and food forest plants. Alternatively, steep the leaves and stems in a bucket of water for one to two weeks to produce a powerful liquid fertiliser that promotes vigorous plant growth. Once strained, the remaining plant material makes an excellent addition to the compost heap.
Nettle patches also provide habitat and food for many beneficial insects and are an important host plant for butterflies, including New Zealand's beautiful Red Admiral butterfly.
Historically, the strong fibres from Stinging Nettle were spun into textiles and paper, providing an alternative to flax and hemp for centuries.
Processing and Drying
Spread harvested stems in a single layer on drying trays with good airflow and out of direct sunlight.
Dry at 33–35°C until most of the moisture has been removed. We dry nettle on the lower shelves of our drying room where temperatures remain slightly cooler, preserving its colour and quality.
Once partially dry, increase the temperature to no more than 37°C until the leaves become crisp.
Strip the leaves from the stems and store them in paper bags or airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Ensure the leaves are completely dry before storage.
Herbal and Culinary Uses*
Young nettle leaves are delicious cooked in soups, stews, risottos, pasta dishes, quiches, omelettes, pesto, and vegetable dishes. Once cooked or dried, they lose their sting while retaining their remarkable nutritional value.
The dried leaves make an excellent everyday herbal tea and can also be used for tinctures, cold infusions, mineral broths, and nourishing herbal blends.
Beyond the kitchen, nettle remains one of the finest plants for compost making, liquid fertilisers, chop-and-drop mulching, and improving soil fertility throughout the garden.
*This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner or registered herbalist before using medicinal herbs therapeutically.
