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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>Chinadoll22</span> Sat, 09/20/2014 - 17:43
I have already planted mint outside. It is already flowering, so now what do I do. I was not aware that I could not harvert while it was flowering. Help me please. There is quite a bit of it now. Needs some thinning out or something.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 09/22/2014 - 11:33

You can harvest the mint while it is flowering but the taste may not be as rich as before bloom. You can keep the mint in check by pulling up some of the plants. Mint can become very invaisive if not controlled. Also trim off the buds and flowers to keep the plants compact.

 <span>Brian Roose</span> Mon, 08/11/2014 - 15:56
I am growing mint that I want to harvest. it says best time to harvest is just before flowering. question, when is that? when does it flower? what time of year? if I can harvest multiple times a year, does it flower often?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 08/12/2014 - 10:17

Mint generally flowers from the month of June through September. You'll see the buds forming and you'll just want to trim before the buds open. 

 <span>Tom F.</span> Thu, 07/24/2014 - 02:16
After finding a "peppermint" plant from my local plant store was not true peppermint I bought some real plants off the internet. I planted the two small plants in a 12" wide x 4" deep pot using Moisture Control Potting Mix. So far the plants have exploded and I just made some tea (not quite strong enough yet) with 15 leaves. I live in Michigan, what should I do with the pot and plant come cold weather? Should I bring it in the house and try to keep it growing or bury the pot in the ground and trim the plant down? Thanks.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 07/25/2014 - 09:42

Several folks say that mint can be grown indoors; bear in mind that it needs certain conditions in which to thrive: full to partial sunlight, temps from 55°F (night) to 70°F (day), air circulation, and humid—not dry—air. Putting a put in pan of shallow water or misting will help the humidity. Air circ is helped by keeping some space between the mint and other plants (ironically, grouping containers aids in increasing humidity; you need to find a happy medium). A fan also helps to circulate air. Temps are in your control.

If you prefer to plant it, it should come back in the spring. Mint is a perennial. Be aware that it spreads on runners (some people consider it to be invasive). For that reason, many people plant it in a pot that will contain it. Remember the old adage about spreaders: Year 1 it sleeps; year 2 it creeps; year 3 it leaps. Don't be fooled if it doesn't spread immediately; it will.

If planted outside, don't prune (cut down) your mint within six weeks of your first frost; the cuts would not have time to heal. Six weeks after would be fine.

 <span>Tonycardial</span> Sat, 07/05/2014 - 09:51
I HAVE READ TIPS GALORE ABOUT HARVESTING MINT AND RECIPES FOR USAGE... BUT, ARE THE STEMS GOOD FOR ANY THING, OR ARE THEY SIMPLY DISCARDED???
<span>Chocolate Mint Owner</span> Mon, 07/21/2014 - 19:20
I've used stems and leaves for brewing tea. The stem doesn't adversely affect the flavor, but it doesn't add anything either. If you're grinding up the mint like in the mint cookie recipe listed in the article or steeping it, leaving it on just makes it easier to keep all the leaves together.
<span>Tonycardial</span> Sat, 07/05/2014 - 09:50
I HAVE READ TIPS GALORE ABOUT HARVESTING MINT AND RECIPES FOR USAGE... BUT, ARE THE STEMS GOOD FOR ANY THING, OR ARE THEY SIMPLY DISCARDED???
<span>Tonycardial</span> Sat, 07/05/2014 - 09:50
I HAVE READ TIPS GALORE ABOUT HARVESTING MINT AND RECIPES FOR USAGE... BUT, ARE THE STEMS GOOD FOR ANY THING, OR ARE THEY SIMPLY DISCARDED???