Nettles can be 'used as a gardening tool'

09:04:20 30th April 2010

Nasty nettles of the sort that grow in backyards may have some healthy benefits, reports the Telegraph.

Before getting the weed killer from the garden shed, consider other uses for the troublesome plants during Be Nice to Nettles Week, May 19-30th.

Kevin Smith from Gardener's World Magazine highlighted ten uses for nettles, including eating it and using it as a gardening tool.

Mr Smith told the newspaper: "Nettles can give a bit of a sting, but the benefits outweigh this if you handle with care."

He added that gardeners should not try to eradicate all of them but should try to make the most of them; a path that could less stress and more pleasure.

Some of the ways the nettle can be safely ingested could be as a soup, as a substitute for spinach in a salad, as a beer or as a tea. The plant is full of iron, calcium and magnesium making it very healthy.

Nettles can show a gardener where the good soil is because they need it to grow, can be turned into plant feed and can also help attract ladybirds.