Evelyn Simak · CC BY-SA 2.0
Stinging Nettle
Plant·Urtica dioica
Part sun
Sun
Medium
Water
Moist soil
Drainage
Zones 3–10
Hardiness
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a plant. It grows best in sun to part shade and has moderate water needs. It grows well with tomato.
Through the year
DormantLeafing outFloweringDying back
Works well with
from wiki dataWHAT IT NEEDS
Wants part sun
Needs moderate water
Tolerates moist soil, as long as it drains well
Prefers soil pH 7–8.5
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Prefers loam, clay soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Draws up nitrogen, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium from deep in the soil
Adds a lot of organic matter to the soil
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives mulch biomass (high)
Provides nitrogen
Provides iron
Provides calcium
Provides magnesium
Provides potassium
Attracts pollinators
Attracts beneficial insects
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Herbaceous
Height60–200 cm
Spacing45 cm (min 30 cm)
Root depthShallow
Width30–100 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seed, division
Difficulty
Establishes in about 1 yr
Self-seeds freely and can spread on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed11 Sept 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded
Photograph Evelyn Simak · CC BY-SA 2.0