Is this little thing really what's destroyed my gardens?

[Heritage]

Ivan.

Nettle is one of the weeds I am constantly battling and trying to eradicate from my flower beds, it is a very common weed here and difficult to control. Weeding even small nettle plants makes it necessary to wear leather gloves and long-sleeve shirts. It isn't something I would imagine for mulch - it seems the risk of seeding new plants seems too great. I assume, to use, you harvest the small plants before they set seeds? I understand that dried nettles are more nutritious than alfalfa, so I would be very interested in the method you use to work with Nettles and how you keep it from spreading. (Ha!, Sorry again Naysen, for taking this thread off track)

Thanks,
Steve