Raised beds (split from New Heirloom Tomatoes)

[kelleyville]

would have never thought of the weed eater! Not sure I have any nettles-at least I have not yet seen any.I will keep an eye out for them though! Do you know what they actually add to the compost?

[kelleyville]

Hmmm on another note, if I rake small tunnels of the leaves, not the wet ones mind you, I could run over them with the lawn mower and bag them! Of course after pulling all the big sticks and rocks out of them

[dice]

Nettles: nitrogen, iron, magnesium, silica, potassium,
probably other minerals. Supposed to be a "compost
activator". That could just be the nitrogen, allowing
bacteria to digest high-carbon fiber faster, or it could
be the result of some other component (carbonic acid
has been mentioned as a possibility).

It's supposed to make a good liquid feed, too. I make
up a tea of comfrey leaf, nettles, and alfalfa pellets
for a plant tonic, roughly equal amounts of each in water (although I don't sweat exact measurements with
something like this). I don't use boiling water. If I am
making a small batch, enough for 1 plant, I use a
tablespoon or so of each and a quart of hot water,
let it soak until it cools to room temperature. If I
am making a big batch, I put a cup of each in 5 gallons
of tap water and let it soak for anywhere from a couple
of days to a week before using it. I water it into the
soil, so I just let the solids go on top of the mulch
and don't worry about straining it.