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How to Grow Mint: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Tips

Mint is an easy herb to grow in your garden and can add flavor to every meal.

Botanical Name
Mentha
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Disease-Resistant
Erosion Control
Fragrant
Long Blooming
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Clay Soil Tolerant
Cold Hardy
Heat-Tolerant
Salt Tolerant
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Mint is like that friend who’s fun to have around… but totally takes over the party if you’re not careful! With its refreshing flavor, heavenly scent, and can’t-stop-won’t-stop attitude, mint is a breeze to grow; just give it boundaries. 

Whether you’re dreaming of mojitos, mint tea, or a garden that smells like candy, we’ll show you how to plant, tame, and enjoy this spirited little herb.

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 an aromatic scent and think of candy, sweet teas, or even mint juleps.

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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 foolproof to grow, thriving in sun and shade all over North America. Since mint can be a vigorous spreader, you must be careful where you plant it.

Planting

  • Mints are vigorous perennials that thrive in light soil with good drainage.
  • Ideally, they prefer a moist but well-drained site, something like their native habitat along stream banks.
  • Most will grow in sun or partial shade; the variegated types may require some protection from direct sun.
  • For outdoor growing, plant one or two purchased plants (or one or two cuttings from a friend) about two feet apart in moist soil. One or two plants will easily cover the ground. Mint should grow to be one or two feet tall.
  • Mint is a vigorous grower that needs to be contained, or it will send out its runners and spread all over your garden. The key is to contain the plant’s roots. Whether in the ground or above ground, plant mint in a pot. We suggest planting each mint in a 10-inch pot with drainage holes. You can then sink this pot into the ground or another larger container of soil.
  • If you are fine with mint becoming a ground cover and understand that it may become invasive, plant in its own raised bed or separate area.
  • In the garden, plant mint near cabbage and tomatoes—in pots, again, in order to prevent it from spreading and stealing nutrients from your crops!

Check out this video to learn more about how to grow mint. 

Growing

  • Minimal care is needed for mint. For outdoor plants, use a light mulch. This will help keep the soil moist and keep the leaves clean.
  • Indoor plants should be watered regularly to keep the soil evenly moist.
  • At first, mints develop into well-behaved-looking, bushy, upright clumps, but they soon set out to conquer new territory with horizontal runners and underground rhizomes. Unless you block the advance, a peppermint plant can become a sprawling 4-foot giant in just 1 year. It’s not the stuff of horror movies, however. Mints benefit from picking and pruning. They are shallow-rooted and easy to pull out, so there’s no reason to worry as long as you provide physical barriers such as walls, walkways, or containers.
a basket of freshly picked mint
Photo Credit: Juta/Shutterstock

Harvesting

  • Frequent harvesting is the key to keeping mint plants at their best. Young leaves have more flavor than old ones, and mint can be harvested as soon as it comes up in spring. Although fresh is best, and sprigs should be kept in water for a few days, mint leaves can be frozen or air-dried in bunches.
  • Right before flowering, cut the stems 1 inch from the ground. You can harvest one mint plant two or three times in one growing season.
  • You can also pick the leaves as you need them.
  • You can grow the plants indoors for fresh leaves throughout the winter. If you want to dry them, it’s best to cut the leaves right before flowering. Store the dried leaves in an airtight container.

Propagating Mint

The best way to propagate mints is by taking cuttings from those that you like best. It’s easy—take 6-inch cuttings of rooted stems and plant them horizontally in the soil. Mint stems will also root in a glass of water. Start with a small cutting from an established plant. Any gardening friend will give you a cutting of a favorite mint.

propogating mint cuttings
Photo Credit: Joannawnuk/Shutterstock


 

Pests and Problems

Spacing for Mint

Types

  • Apple/Pineapple Mint: Mentha suaveolens
  • Corsican Mint: Mentha requienii
  • Pennyroyal: Mentha pulegium
  • Peppermint: Mentha x piperita
  • Citrus Mint: Mentha x piperita var. citrata
  • Spearmint: Mentha spicata

Wit and Wisdom

“If any man can name … all the varieties of mint, he must know how many fish swim in the Indian Ocean.”  –Walafrid Strabo (c. 808–849)

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Stephanie R.</span> Sun, 11/29/2015 - 16:25
I've been reading a lot of these comments to figure out what I should do. I live in Nebraska. Have 2 mint & 1 chocolate mint outside on my apartment balcony. After this weekend's icy weather, I checked on my plant and all 3 look sad. Leaves and hanging down, some are brown, and stems look like something stepped on the plant and they didn't go back up after that (weight of the ice probably). I don't have a place to plant them since I live in an apartment (not on ground floor) & I know my allergies will be affected if I bring the plants indoors. Do I just keep the plants outside and hope they come back in the spring? Each plant is in a plastic pot with draining holes. Suggestions for any ideas/tips... I do like mint in my water & hot chocolate so would like to take care of them and have them back in the spring!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 12/08/2015 - 17:07

Spearmint and peppermint are winter hardy and will most likely survive outside on the balcony with some protection. The chocolate mint is more tender and may not make it. Put the pots close together in a cardboard box or some other bigger container. Add straw under and around the pots and cover the pots with straw. You can also add a blanket over the top of the box.

 <span>Artis Noel</span> Thu, 09/10/2015 - 17:55
i have a mint plant outside my house but im not sure which one it is but i get lots of bees in it im not sure how to harvest it and it has soooooo many flowers on it i live in a zone 6 climate also is it just me or does mint smell kind of skunky? is that smell normal?
<span>Lori Brewerton</span> Fri, 06/17/2016 - 20:18
My daughter planted a chocolate mint outside and we got it from a nursery so I know that's what it is. The pictures are the same, it's obvious. To me, it smells sort of skunky when people brush against it, not chocolaty, sweet, or minty at all. No one else in the family notices it, just me. And it's not as strong as a real skunk or as lasting (thankfully!) but it could be the chocolate mint. I also have bee balm, spearmint, peppermint, orange mint, and catnip planted and none of those smell skunky to me, but the chocolate does every time.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sun, 09/13/2015 - 09:37

It could be a type of catmint (Nepeta). There are hundreds of kinds.  Some, like catnip, attract cats and others, like your stinky one, repel cats and even insects such as mosquitoes.

 <span>Viona Hanson</span> Sun, 08/23/2015 - 15:22
I live in Minnesota and never planted peppermint before. Is it like rhubarb where you can only harvest it put to a certain time of the year or can you go to freeze?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 08/26/2015 - 10:27

Peppermint is hardy to Zone 3, but invasive. In Minnesota, you can plant peppermint in a weather-resistant container and sink it into the garden to its rim. Leave this over winter. You can harvest leaves throughout the growing season, or cut the plant back to just above one or two sets of leaves, just before the plant flowers (flavor is best then). Do this up to three times per growing season; it will grow back. You can dry or freeze the leaves, as well.

 <span>Sumbny</span> Wed, 08/05/2015 - 10:54
We recently have had mice in the house which we never have had before. I am wondering... If I planted mint in containers and placed them around my garden on the ground (or where I think mice have gotten into the house) would the potted mint plants deter mice or does the mint plant need to be actually growing in the ground in order for them to smell it and stay away. Please help because mice in the house is NOT acceptable!! Thanks!
<span>Cocoa</span> Sun, 08/16/2015 - 12:56
Find all the holes and openings in your house and stuff them with steel wool. Mice hate this and will not attempt to get through. Look under your stove, air condition vents, dishwasher connections etc! The extra addition of the mint around the perimeters will work great. You should be in great shape as long as you find and stuff all openings!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 08/11/2015 - 01:37

Many folks find that peppermint oil will deter a mouse because of its strong aroma.  

In gardens, plant herbs such as lavender around borders to keep pests out. This is a form of "companion planting."

You can try to make an herbal spray treatment to spray around plants or around your kitchen. Just add herbs to a jar of water and let it sit in the sun for a few days. Pour into a spray bottle and spray daily. 

However, the mice are not likely to actually leave real shelter if they have nowhere to go. You also need to make sure all cracks in the house are sealed, especially rooms where food is kept. All food should be off the floor and keep a clean cleaning around the house including weeds or woodpiles. If you happen to live in a country area, the goal is just to make the mice manageable because they can fit under any crack less than 1/4-inch thick.

For the mice inside the house, you may need to resort to trapping if you feel strongly about living together; otherwise, they will die inside the house.