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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

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 02/05/2018 - 12:26

Sam, Here are a couple .edu references on light requirements for mint. The information is fairly consistent.

"Most herbs need six hours minimum of direct sunlight. Either place herbs in a sunny location, for example, near a window with a southern exposure, or place herbs 6 to 12 inches from two 40 watt, cool white fluorescent bulbs for 14 to 16 hours." Reference: Growing Herbs Indoors

"Most herbs require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight in order to grow well. All-day sun is even better. Seeds may be started indoors under fluorescent lights during the late winter months. Lights should be set for 14-16 hours daily, placed approximately four to six inches above the seedlings and raised as they grow, to maintain that distance." Reference: UMN Herbs

 

 <span>Samuel Ogah</span> Wed, 04/18/2018 - 23:12
Good information. Cheers!
<span>Annie Tomsik</span> Mon, 10/09/2017 - 22:23
I am growing Sweet Mint this year, and I live in the hot conditions of Nevada. The plant recommended 6 hours sun. But I noticed if I didn't move it to shade after 10 am, and water a lot, it would look droopy. One day I was away from home six hours and came home it was fried. Sad. I kept watering for days, but nothing. I left the planter for days not having the heart to toss it. Then the day I mustered the courage, I noticed tiny green leaves under the brown dried leaves. I immediately trimmed and took in the house. Nice thing, spiders don't like it I do.
<span>Sarah</span> Fri, 09/01/2017 - 08:53
Earlier this year I bought two peppermint plants which I put in a container. At first it seemed sick, but gained strength and grew tremendously. Now however, I found small black spots under the leaves coming from aphids, and I cut off all the branches (something I haven't done other than when I got it), pulled up some of the roots as it was circling around itself and sprayed a water and detergent solution on it to kill the aphids. Now it seems the aphids are gone, but there's a white, gooey substance on the top part of the cut off stems. It's not "spit", and I cannot see any other creature on the plant. Is it just from the plant to "rebuild" itself or is it something bad?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 09/01/2017 - 14:51

Your plant could be infested with spittle bug; it produces milky white substance. It is believed not to harm the plant, but you can eliminate it by hosing/watering it off of the plant (a rain will often be enough).  The bugs hide under the foam, so washing it off will reveal them to predators—ladybugs and lacywings (if there are any) who will have the spittlebugs for lunch.

We hope this helps.

 <span>Lee Brothers</span> Fri, 06/08/2018 - 13:12
No bug likes coffee . I can brew coffee, cheap coffee or any kind of coffee, pour it directly on top of the plant making sure the leaves get very wet and then into the soil. I have watched caterpillars crawling out of the plant to get away from the coffee. If you will do this you can bring your plants inside with no insects.
<span>Helga</span> Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:56
I just looked and mine is a peppermint plant.
<span>Helga</span> Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:39
I have a large planter full of mint and would like suggestions on how to use it. Is there any use for dried or frozen mint; as we go from Minnesota to Arizona in the winter?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 08/18/2017 - 14:49

Certainly! You can use dried mint in your own blend of teas (both iced and hot), or add it to sauces, soups, veggies, casseroles, salad dressings, spice rubs on meat, baked goods--all sorts of options for foods. For health, some people like to place dried mint (sometimes mixed with other dried herbs) in cheesecloth or muslin bags and then let it soak in their bath water, to add soothing fragrance. Tinctures to relieve digestive troubles can also be made with dried mint. Dried mint is also used in potpourris, sachets, soaps, etc. Hope this helps!

 <span>Colleen</span> Thu, 06/29/2017 - 08:55
I have and love the spearmint, but it has become very adventurous in spreading through places I never thought it would. It takes the scenic route and appears thick and lush in a new location, easy to pull out but the roots are quite firm and it comes back. So take it very seriously when they say careful where you put it! I rub the fresh leaves on my temples when I get a headache and I think it does help, we don't use any aspirin etc around here. In the spring a little beetle was leaving tiny hole marks on the leaves but it did not bother the plant, only a little unsightly and they are gone by now.