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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>Toothpaste Creator</span> Mon, 07/27/2015 - 07:12

Hi I have a mint plant that mixed with sand and potting soil and he's outside so harvest from him regularly and I also water him well. he is growing beautifully. we have a really harsh winter is here in Georgia and I am not sure where I should place him during the winter do they grow in the ground through harsh cold moist freezing winters or a place inside of a sunny window. I'm not sure. Please help??

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/28/2015 - 14:12

Mint is perennial, so it should come back next season. If it is in a pot, you could put it into a garage or basement for the coldest days in winter. If in ground, it will be fine.

 <span>Nick Kembel</span> Mon, 06/15/2015 - 10:41
I live in a subtropical and very humid country. I bought two pots of mint plants from a nursery. Within a month, I found they were dying. When I moved them to larger pots, I realized the pots they had been in previously were completed filled with roots, which were twisted and wrapped around each other so tightly I couldn't even pull them apart. I tried to loosen them up a little then replanted them in the much larger pots. Now about a month later, they've mostly died, except for a few stems that survived and the leaves still look OK. Should I give up on it and just start again with some new plants? Dig out all those old roots and throw them away? Or just let it keep going and see if it will somehow survive and produce mint for me again in the months to come? In other words, are those old roots going to rot if I keep watering them, or could they come back to life?
<span>Newbie Two</span> Sat, 07/04/2015 - 01:11
Mint plants bought from nursery could be old plants, hence the entire pot is just roots and some stems and leaves. 1) cut the stem and put the cuttings in the original pot with soil gravel but ensure water drainage and airation 2) make mint root mulch for the mint cutting growth 3) observe further and adjust to the new situation 4) buy a new pot and try again
<span>Joe Nash</span> Tue, 06/09/2015 - 09:29
Hello, I have a peppermint plant that suddently grew one massive dark offshoot with a thick purple stem and small leaves. What is this called? Should I trim it so the rest of my plant grows (everything else seems to grow slower now).
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 06/09/2015 - 14:19

It could possibly be a sport, which is a genetic mutation (which plant breeders sometimes use to create new cultivars). Or, it could be a reversion--when a stem produces characteristics of the parent plant instead; some mutations (such as variegation in certain cases) are not stable, and will sometimes revert back to a parent characteristic. Another possibiity is that the change was caused by a virus or environmental condition. Unless you are a knowledgeable plant breeder and this is a mutation, then it is probably best to prune it out--especially if it is caused by a virus.

 <span>Dc</span> Sun, 08/13/2017 - 03:59
Im noticing this too, how can i found out more info about the various possibilities mentioned that may be occuring?
<span>Robb</span> Mon, 05/25/2015 - 10:36
I live in Vermont. When we moved in half of my backyard was mint. I corralled it well and have enjoyed the beauty and aroma of the mint for about 4 years. When winter transitions to spring I cut away the dead leaves and stems to about the ground. Every year I say, "oh geez I think I killed the mint" but eventually it arrives and goes nuts for the summer. It's memorial day and we still have no mint. We had a severely long and cold winter, but the other perennials in the garden are nearing full size while the mint hasn't even peeked out. Did I kill the mint? Should I buy another plant?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 05/26/2015 - 14:56

It's hard to know what might be going on, but mint is usually quite hardy. A few varieties, such as Corsican mint, are less cold tolerant. Peppermint is one of the hardiest. Was the area covered by mulch or fall leaves? If the soil was bare at any time during a deep freeze, it is possible that the roots have died back, at least somewhat. You might try keeping the area moist (but not waterlogged) and waiting a little longer to see if the plants recover. However, if you want to be sure you have some mint this season, you might add at least one more plant.

 

It might also be possible that your mint has been attacked by a pest or disease. Mint flea beetle larvae, for example, feed on mint roots (the eggs overwinter and the larvae hatch in spring). Dig up a small area to see if you can spot the roots and check their health. Look for holes in the roots, where a larva might be inside. For more information, see:

http://mint.ippc.orst.edu/mfbmanagement.htm

http://mint.ippc.orst.edu/rootinsects.htm

 <span>Joanna G.</span> Tue, 05/12/2015 - 01:38
Can I take some of the existing baby mint plants and re-plant them on another container? Any tips on doing this to ensure the baby plants survive?