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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> Thu, 09/08/2016 - 10:20

Mints are perennials. While they might survive the winter in your greenhouse, it is also possible that they will be "cooked" (die)—assuming like most glass structures your greenhouse heats up in the sunlight. You would be better off putting the plants, pots and all, into holes in the ground, surrounded by soil. (If the plants are pot bound now, consider transferring them into larger pots them before setting them into the ground. That way, if they do set roots, they will do it within the pot first.) That way, they will experience a "natural" winter: rain, snow, snow melt, etc. If you lift the pots in late winter/early spring before roots start spreading out, you should be able to avoid introducing the plant into the yard or garden. Then continue to care for them as potted plants, including putting them back into the smaller pots if you like (clip the roots, if nec to get the plants to fit).

 <span>Mary Buchheister</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 17:54
I believe I have Artic Mint, with tall stems & small purple flowers. Is this mint edible??
<span>Kiara</span> Tue, 08/02/2016 - 15:35
I recently bought a spearmint plant and planted it in a pot indoors. it seems to be doing very well but i notice it keeps growing taller and sprouting new leaves but the leaves dont see to grow very much and the big leaves i do have are spotting brown a bit at the tips. Any ideas?
<span>Roger</span> Thu, 07/07/2016 - 17:08
Hi there, I've been finding on some of my mint's leaves these odd, snaky tracks, almost like burns, but in a narrow, windy strip. They're on both my spearmint and peppermint, and I've found some on oregano as well. What causes these, and what might I do about them? Thanks!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 07/08/2016 - 10:28

That sounds like the work of a leafminer. Barriers and repellents, beneficial insects, biological pesticides, and soaps and oils are recommended. It is not a pest that will necessarily compromise the plant's health; it is more of an aesthetic nuisance.

 <span>Kimberly</span> Sat, 06/04/2016 - 18:20
What can I do with the flowers of my mints plants?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/06/2016 - 14:00

If you want to continue harvesting mint, you need to cut off the flowers. If you want the seed, you can keep the flowers. Bees will also enjoy the flowers if you'd like to keep them.

 <span>Shii</span> Tue, 05/10/2016 - 20:32
Hi. Thanks for all this information. I have a "sweet mint" plant. Is there a difference to the peppermint or other mint plant or is it the same?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 05/12/2016 - 16:30

There seem to be several claims. Mentha x piperita (peppermint), M. spicata (spearmint) , M. suaveolens (apple or woolly mint), and M. arvensis (wild or field mint), have all been called sweet mint. Best guess, the name commercially might usually refer to some form of spearmint. M. arvensis grows in the wild, but not as common to find commercially. One vendor sells sweet mint but separates it from basic peppermint and spearmint - unfortunately, no botanical name listed.

 <span>Jennifer</span> Wed, 04/13/2016 - 11:36
I live in Michigan and planted some mint taken from my parents garden into a well drained planter. They did well last year, but I haven't seen any sign that it will come back this year. When does mint typically start coming back for my zone?