Mint practically grows itself! Not only does mint add fruity, aromatic flavor to foods and tea, but also it’s useful for health remedies such as aiding digestion and relieving headaches. All you need to do is confine this spreading perennial herb to a container or confined bed to keep it from taking over your yard! See tips on planting, growing, and controlling mint!
About Mint
Mint is a perennial herb with very fragrant, toothed leaves and tiny purple, pink, or white flowers. There are many varieties of mint—all fragrant, whether shiny or fuzzy, smooth or crinkled, bright green or variegated. However, you can always tell a member of the mint family by its square stem. Rolling it between your fingers, you’ll notice a pungent scent and think of candy, sweet teas, or maybe even mint juleps.
As well as kitchen companions, mints are used as garden accents, ground covers, air fresheners, and herbal medicines. They’re as beautiful as they are functional, and they’re foolproof to grow, thriving in sun and shade all over North America. Since mint can be vigorous spreaders, you simply have to be careful where you plant it.
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how to use Chocolate mint
how do I use chocolate mint ,,,I have
it in large pot and it smells wonderful but I don't know what to use it in or how to use it
Peppermint Pests
Please add spider mites to your list of peppermint pests. They all but destroyed my once-bushy plants. I had to clip and root some healthy tops just to save them. I also must spray a rosemary oil-detergent-water mixture on the reviving stems still outside. <:-(
RODENT DETERENT?
Years ago a golf ball sized hole popped up overnight in my parking area. I assumed it was a mole/vole or some such critter. I kicked some gravel into the hole and tamped it down. That worked for a day or two and then it reappeared. Since it was right near where I got out when I parked, I didn't want to turn my ankle or provide an open invitation for additional holes so I decided to pour some used kitty litter (no poops included) down the hole and covered it over again. It seemed to work but a similar hole appeared about six feet away. More litter and the critters got the idea until this year. This time instead of litter I crushed a few stalks of mint and shoved them down their doorway. It was never removed and I haven't seen any more holes anywhere. This wasn't a scientific survey by any means, but if you're having problems with diggers in your lawn or garden and have a supply of mint it's worth a try before using chemicals or nasty traps. This might make them move to a different area on your property, but if you have a supply of mint like I do it shouldn't be a problem driving the little monsters out of the back forty.
MINT-rific!
Pineapple mint - Grow it for the Hummingbirds! They LOVE it!
I love my mints. I have them everywhere. Don't forget to add some Catmint to your variety. Pollinators are highly attracted to it as well as the fact that it provides an attractive flower most of the summer. Spearmint was one of the first plants, if not the first, that I planted almost 40 years ago when we moved into this house & I still have it growing (although I suspect that it is not the exact same plant but an offshoot thereof). I have a couple of areas where I have not been able to grow anything so mint will be the last resort.
As for the Catmint, Our cat said, "Thank you," to which I answered, "Don't Mint-tion it!"
Your link to medicinal mints..
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mint
We have a large rock (3-4 ft wide/tall) near the corner of our rural driveway, with mint planted around it. The mint not only takes care of not having to mow close to the rock, but I always save that section to do when I'm half done with the lawn, so when I mow that circle around the rock the smell of the cut mint is so refreshing. Just the regular lawn mowing seems to keep the mint contained in a 2 to 3 foot circle around the rock. When they were still small enough, the granddaughters used to spend a lot of time sitting on that rock surrounded by the smell of mint.
Summer savory Cross pollination with spearmint
Hello,
I have spearmint growing in my garden and I would like to add summer and winter savory. I have heard that they are members of the mint family. Will they cross pollinate with my spearmint? Thank you for your help.
Dont forget Double Mint
It grows higher and usually mint grows wider, but not this.
Mint varieties
1. What type of mint is typically used in iced tea, and found in the grocery store?
2. If I grow it in a pot, is it better to move pot outdoors in summer, or leave inside year-round?
grocery store mint
Peppermint and spearmint are the most commonly available, and one source suggests that spearmint is the one most often found in grocery stores. One way to check: peppermint is 40 percent menthol, while spearmint is less than 1 percent menthol. This means that peppermint will have a more intense flavor and possibly an aftertaste, while spearmint will be milder tasting.
If you are growing mint in a container, it will do better outdoors in summer. See above for more specific info.
Growing mint
For some reason my mint plants do not bloom. They don’t appear to even produce buds that would eventually bloom. I guess I don’t have “true” mint? I’m not sure.
Planting mint
How deep do you plant the mint?
Planting mint depth
Sow the seeds just ⅛ inch deep, barely covering with fine soil, and keep moist. Seeds will germinate in 10 to 20 days. Mints are slow to develop during the first year, but be ready to fight them back the second year. If you’re worried about their growth, plant in their own bed!
Companion planting
Lovely article, thank you!
I was wondering if there was any more information regarding companion planting? I see that you stated to plant mint next to tomatoes and cabbage, but will mint do well alongside other plants? Why only tomatoes and cabbage?
Xx
Companion Planting
Mint’s main feature is its potent smell, which is said to deter common pests such as cabbageworms and cabbage moths, ants, aphids, and flea beetles. Generally, mint can be planted in pots alongside any veggies that are affected by these pests, like peppers, broccoli and cauliflower, and other leafy greens.
For more about companion planting, see our articles on the topic:
What to do in the winter?
Hi. Thank you so much for these articles, very helpful.
Over a year ago, myself an my wife planted a fruit tree and guild. The guild has many perennials from lavender to hibiscus, thyme, yarrow, sorrel and others, but also mint, spearmint, mountain mint.
I can find plenty of information online about planting a guild with perennials but nothing about what to do when fall and winter arrive...how to care?
Do I just leave the mint and others to die, fall and rot, or cut away the stalks for regrowth in Spring?
I would love if you could help or even point me in the direction of something online or some books for caring for a fruit tree guild through winter.
Thank you so much.
Stephen.
Maintaining a Fruit Tree Guild
Creating a fruit tree guild is a wonderful way to promote biodiversity in a small space and to work permaculture into your garden. Generally, it’s recommended to allow nature to take its course and let the perennials die back themselves, as they will eventually break down and feed the surrounding soil. However, if the garden is planted very tightly together, you may want to cut and remove some of the larger perennials as they die back (like yarrow, for example) so that they do not end up suffocating out the others.
You should also keep an eye out for any signs of pests or disease—fungal or bacterial spots, mildew, pests, and so on—and remove infected material from the garden. This helps to prevent it from building up in one location and perpetuating the disease in the following growing season.
Red leaves?
I recently brought a peppermint plant indoors to be grown under artificial light, since I had to bring my succulents in anyway, and noticed its leaves have started to change from its normal green to more red/purple, is this an indication of too much or too little light, or completely unrelated?
possible typo
you said stem anker. did you mean stem cancer?
oops
stem canker
Cankers
Stem cankers are patches of dead tissue that appear on a plant’s stem. The canker may be caused by an infection of bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and they generally expand slowly over time. Depending on the plant and the cause, stem cankers may be lethal to the plant.
canker
ok
climate & mint
it's my firs time to have a plant and i don't know where should i keep my Mint and Basil plants ? indoor or outdoor !
i live in Hungary so , outdoor is cold & rarely sunny and indoor ,we turn on heaters... so , i am confused about the most suitable environment for them .
Basil and Mint
They both do better outdoors, in the sun. Note that basil is an annual (it lasts for one growing season) and mint is a perennial (it should come back every year, if maintained properly). Everybody starts somewhere. Congratulations on beginning gardening!
Flowering
How do I get my plant to flower? Is it a seasonal thing?
Mint in containers
what would be the right container size for growing mints? If I would like my plant to grow tall, does it mean I would need a tall container? also I wonder if I can mix 3 different types of mints in one container.
Thank you,
mint in containers
To grow mint outdoors in containers, you might want to select a pot that is at least 8 inches wide and 10 to 12 inches deep. A larger width might be good if you’d like to plant a variety of different mints together.
Nutrients in soil
What nutrients present in soil are necessary for mint to grow healthy?
mint's nutrient needs
We dug deep for this answer. Here’s what we found: OSU Mint Guide
We hope this helps!
Mint
Does the spring growing of mint come from the old woody stems or up from the roots/ground? Thanks!
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