Nettle Fertiliser

Back in July I went foraging on the farm in Wales for some nettles, now you might be thinking I was crazy but I was in fact going to be making my own nettle fertiliser and it was a job I was very excited about. I’ve been meaning to make my own for a few years now but never got round to it and seeing as the farm had so many nettles I grabbed some gloves and a bucket to go and pick some.

It’s a very simple job and one that doesn’t take long at all, it can take as little as 6 weeks to make your own fertiliser (or you can be like me and leave it for 5 months!) All you need to do is cut the nettles and scrunch them up to break the leaves and stems. Place them into a bucket or a container and weigh them down with a brick before covering them with water. Leave them somewhere out of the way for 6 weeks or more and then strain through a sieve into another container before transferring your homemade liquid into a bottle. Label and store in the shed until you need to use them, diluting the concentrate down with water by 1:20 (or simply add a cup of fertiliser to a watering can filled with water) Feed your plants twice a week with the diluted liquid and reap the rewards!

Fertilisers are the perfect for adding nutrients back into your soil and can be made using various organic matter. Nettle fertiliser is high in Nitrogen which is perfect for foliage and Comfrey has Potassium which promotes healthy flowers and fruit. You can also use seaweed in the same way and I’m hoping to make both this and comfrey fertiliser to add to my store cupboard next year.