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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>Window Gardener</span> Wed, 06/14/2017 - 15:01
I recently (about a month ago) planted a sweet mint plant in my medium-sized window box alongside my small pepper plant and English thyme. It's grown very fast, and seems to have settled on a height of about 12 inches. However, I've noticed the past few days that several of the leaves near the bottom of the plant are turning brown around the edges. I live in Colorado, and the past week or so has been very hot (low 90's F) in addition to being dry, so I've taken to watering the window box twice a day. My window faces SW so the plants get sun mostly in the afternoon. Is this just an overwatering problem or something else? And should I trim off these brown leaves or the entire lower stems?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/16/2017 - 09:55

It's hard to know, but it could be the excessive heat. They prefer temperatures around 60 to 80F. When such days occur, it might help to provide a little shade. Mints do like moist soil, but not overly so. During hot days, it may appreciate watering twice a day, but check the soil first to make sure that it isn't soggy. Overwatering often appears on the plant as yellowing wilting leaves that feel soft, and also soggy soil. Underwatering, the leaves are crisp and brown, with dry soil. If the plants are very crowded, your mint might also be under stress, as the roots like to spread. Also make sure they haven't been overfertilized, which sometimes turns leaves brown.
You can trim off just the browning leaves.

 <span>Parker</span> Mon, 04/08/2019 - 10:06
k...
<span>Liz</span> Tue, 06/13/2017 - 09:14
Our mint was grown outside. In the fall, we mowed it over in the fall. It cleaned and freshen the lawn mower. It always came back vigorously in the spring. No matter how cold or how much snow.and was 6 inches tall during the summer months. We never covered it with mulch or anything else.
<span>Pj</span> Tue, 08/08/2017 - 16:38
I'm planning to plant then next year. Now they are in container and planning to take them indoor around Oct.. I live near Great Lakes, near Wisconsin & Illinois border. It gets chilly during winter. Are you from that cold part?
<span>A K</span> Fri, 08/11/2017 - 04:19
I lived with mint out at my parents' home (zone 5) and now mine for decades. I live in zone 4 - 5 depending on which map I look. None of the mints have had any issue with the cold. They are snow covered all winter My issue/problem. The different mints must of cross pollinated and do not taste the same I love eating fresh spearmint and getting the taste in my mouth. Not anymore. I had a hard time finding seeds for edible plant. Will start from seed for the first time
<span>Eugenia Bruce</span> Mon, 11/14/2016 - 07:32
I bought mint about three weeks ago and planted it in a big pot then put it in my kitchen window, it's growing nice but there's some powdery mildew on almost all the leaves. Please can you advise me on what I should do to stop it. Thank you very much
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 11/15/2016 - 09:41

Sadly, powdery mildew is difficult to control, not least because, apparently there are several types (species) of it. It may have developed at the source—the (likely) greenhouse in which it was grown (forced, possibly) and prepped for sale. One source suggests that while in a greenhouse, mint plants are constantly "washed" with overhead irrigation. Once that ceases for more than a few days, the humidity of that environment opens the risk of mildew. (It can not germinate when plants are wet.) Why are you only seeing it now, you might wonder? Well, it can take up to a week for it to develop into a visible colony. You can try removing the infected plant parts. Increase air circ around the plant. However, we must advise that survival rate is low, success with mint indoors will be a challenge. Your best bet is to grow it outdoors in the ground or in a pot, in season. It is a perennial, but like most perennials, it goes dormant—and it will go dormant; you can not fool Mother Nature. We wish we had better news...

 <span>Mandie</span> Wed, 02/08/2017 - 22:24
I have always used store bought milk and put it into a spray bottle and every evening at sundown I would spray it onto my plants. Works wonders. I use it every year in my pumpkin patch as well and have saved many plants that already had the powdery mildew. Definately give it a try!
<span>Ilana</span> Mon, 11/14/2016 - 02:26
Would love some advice. I went away for a few days and my mint died. Should I keep on watering it now throughout the winter? I live in a hot climate so winter isn't super rainy at the moment. Thanks in advance