Nettles

[mercurymaze]

Every year one patch in my garden is riddled with nettles how can I get rid for good

Don't get rid! Encourages bio-diversity in the garden, great for butterfly and moth species. Can be eaten. I have a large patch in my garden that comes back every year. Last year I decided to stop trying to fight it. ( previous years I spent ages pulling it all out by the root) And I now have affection for it. I had so many butterflies, in tbe garden last year, and I collected the leaves and made a great leek, potato and nettle soup. Also put raw in my smoothies. When you think how much effort people put into growing food and there it grows easily for free. In fact eating it kept it managable as I kept cutting it back. Same goes for dandelion leaves. I actially saw an organic food site online selling nettles!

(Sorry I know you probably wanted advice on getting rid but thought I'd put forth my case for the underdog. I'll sod off now)

No that's interesting perhaps I'll keep a small bit but it's out the front and looks like I don't care

Stuff em! but on a serious note for tidy purpose perhaps pull them out and plant something with a vigorous habit to stifle regrowth? Clumps of busy lizzies something like that?

actually I'd also like to know, wildlife is great but errrr I really don't like nettles in my garden. Our neighbours have left nettles, brambles and ivy their side which runs rampant through our hedge. It's a full time job pulling it out continually - I'd love to nuke it once and for all

Certainly with Hadron on the wildlife value.

If you put something impenetrable, like a waxed jacket and a long waterproof glove, you can sort of twist the height of the nettle round your arm, grasp it low down, and pull out with a whole hunk of roots. Good start if you want to get rid. But you could also replant in that out of the way corner where it doesn't matter if they grow. Need to cut off some of the top growth, to give them a chance.

There's something oddly satisfying seeing nettle leaves riddled with holes, and knowing you've allowed some small part of the ecoweb to feed. ( Or is that just me?)