How to Grow Mint

Days to germination: Try seedlings instead
Days to harvest: Any point when the plant is large enough
Light requirements: Partial shade
Water requirements: Occasional watering
Soil: Loose and fertile
Container: Recommended

Introduction

Mint is an easy-to-grow perennial that will provide you with a fresh harvest for many years. Its clean and cool flavor is used in all kinds of cooking but is probably most popular in herbal tea or mint lemonade.

It will overwinter fine up to zones 3, and mint can take the heat down to zone 11. Spearmint does better for southern gardens because it grows better in the heat.

You can grow a whole range of different varieties that have subtle flavors beyond the primary taste of mint. Well-known ones are spearmint and peppermint, but you can also grow pineapple mint, chocolate mint, orange mint or even banana mint. There are more than 600 known varieties to choose from.

Mint is not an herb with any substantive nutritional content, but it is well known as a home-remedy for upset stomach and other digestive ailments.

Starting from Seed

Mint doesn’t always germinate or sprout that well, so most home gardeners start their mint plants from seedlings or cuttings. To start from a cutting, just prop a piece of stem in a glass of water until it sprouts roots. Then plant as you would a seedling. You may even be able to do this with the fresh mint you purchase at the grocery store.

Transplanting

When choosing a location for your mint plants, you should plan on some kind of barrier to keep your plants contained. Mint will spread uncontrollably if you let it have free reign in your garden. Many people grow mint in containers simply because it keeps it from taking over.

Mint grows best in partial shade, especially during the heat of the summer months. If they are growing in full sun, water more frequently to keep the plants from stressing.

Plants will grow to a height of around 2 feet and a width of the same. But once it sends out runners, it will spread further than the original plant.

Growing Instructions

Water your plants frequently for the first year, but after that they will have a large enough root system that they should only require watering during very dry weather.

Mint spreads by roots and underground runners, so you’ll find that if you grow it in the garden, more plants seem to spring up nearby. A piece of garden trim sunk at least a foot into the soil can help keep the roots confined.

Keep the top of the plant trimmed so that it grows more leaves to the sides rather than growing taller. You will be a better harvest this way.

Containers

Due to the aggressive nature of mint, many people choose to grow their mint plants in containers even if their regular herbs are planted in the garden.

After a few years, your plant will grow to match the size of its container and will eventually get root-bound by the pot. You should de-pot your mint and split your plant every two or three years.

A 12-inch pot is fine for one plant, though a larger one would allow for more growth and a much larger plant. You will still need to re-pot it occasionally which can be a more difficult job when the plant is really large.

If you have your mint containers sitting near your garden, watch out that any stray stems don’t grow down to the ground over the edge of the pot. A healthy stem will easily take root, and you can find your mint has spread to the garden.

You can grow potted mint indoors as well, but it can grow a little large for the average windowsill.

Pests and Diseases

Because of their strong smell, mint is seldom bothered by many insect pests. In fact, growing mint around other plants and vegetables can help keep insects away without adding extra pesticides to your garden.

Aphids, spider mites and whiteflies are all small insects that sometimes trouble mint. A strong stream of plain water can usually wash them off though you’ll have to do this every few days. Insecticidal soap sprays can also help repel pests.

Mint can also get rust, a fungus infection that looks like orange-brown patches on the undersides of the leaves. Don’t let the leaves get too wet during watering, and you can treat it with a standard fungicide spray. Don’t harvest any mint for several days afterwards, and wash well.

Harvest and Storage

Harvesting mint is as simple as picking a few fresh leaves off the plant when you want them. Never take more than 1/3 of the leaves on the plant at a time and make sure to allow it time to regrow before harvesting again. If you need more mint, plant several plants to accommodate rather than over-harvest just one

If one plant produces more than you need, trim it anyway or it will get overgrown and future leaves will be very poor in flavor.

Just because mint is a perennial, doesn’t mean that it will survive through heavy frost. A cold snap will kill the aboveground part of your mint, and the roots will sprout again next spring. That means that when you are expecting a frost, you should try to harvest as much mint as possible. The leaves will be ruined by the frost. At the same time, you want to leave enough plant material to cover over the roots for winter protection.

A compromise would be to pick as many mint leaves as you can before the frost, then add a layer of mulch over your plants so that they are protected from the cold. This applies for outdoor container mint as well.

Fresh mint leaves can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 5 days before they start to wilt. Longer storage is best with dried mint. You can use a dehydrator, an oven set on low, or even just hang bundles of mint leaves in a warm well-ventilated room. Air drying can take up to 2 weeks though. Store dry mint in an air-tight container and it will keep up to a year. Mint leaves can also be frozen.

18 Responses to “How to Grow Mint”

Tom From Gardenia Care Says:
August 23rd, 2011 at 5:01 am
I would always plant mint in a tub or pot because it will spread like wild fire. I’ve planted mint in mixed herb containers and have had to remove the mint from them as they take over the whole container. So no I plant a single plant in a single pot where it can’t escape!
Sue Says:
October 25th, 2011 at 9:07 am
This information was very helpful. I have a question about wintering over mint in small pots. I am in Zone 5. Should I heal them in to the ground or cover with plastic? Thank you for your help. Sue
Administrator Says:
November 28th, 2011 at 8:17 am
I grow my mint in an 18 inch pot and do nothing to protect it during winter, I am also in zone 5.

Do not cover with plastic, that is definitely a bad idea. That will just cause rot. If you’re concerned, partially bury the pots in soil or leaf debris, it may not be necessary, but it won’t hurt anything.
Amber Says:
November 28th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Do you know the life cycle of this plant thanks.!
Jane Says:
June 20th, 2012 at 10:40 pm
I’m in S. California and by this time of year (June) my mint is being eaten by something which chews on every single leaf. Any idea what it is?
Rebecca Says:
July 28th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Excellent and very well researched post! I never even considered freezing my mint. This will really help me out when I need to harvest as much as possible before the frost. I use my mint sprigs in juice recipes, so I wouldn’t get any benefit from drying them. How long will mint keep if I freeze it?
Roberta Says:
August 10th, 2012 at 8:08 am
I am trying to grow spearmint from established plants. It is late summer, will that be a problem?
I use spearmint to make a water repellant to put down in mole holes/tunnels, it actually seems to work to make moles tunnel elsewhere.
Brandon Bennett Says:
October 27th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
@Jane. Your plants are most likely being eaten by cut worms. I have the same problem, almost year round here in Yuma, AZ. I raise mints and Basil. They love the Basil but they have also gone after my Spearmint. These worm/caterpillars are prevalent here. They are from moths, not butterflies.

I try not to use pesticides and they don’t typically work. What does work is taking a good hour and looking for the perpetrators, peeling them off your plants and disposing of them. Of course, two weeks later, new ones arrive and it is an endless battle :/

Good luck!
del paquin Says:
March 30th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
i did not cut my mint before the winter and now after the snow has melted, the leaves are brown/black but with green at the very ends..should i cut back the stems so that the new growth will occur?
thanks
del
Administrator Says:
April 1st, 2013 at 9:39 am
Unnecessary del, Mint will grow regardless. But if you want to clean it up, feel free.
Eberto Leal Says:
January 6th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
When do you recommend to plant mint in zone 9bg?
Thanks.
Susan Says:
May 16th, 2015 at 10:27 am
My parents grew fresh mint in the back yard just off our steps. My dad mowed it down in the fall, it sprouted up in the spring. we had mint in our tea every summer/fall for 28 years.

yum
carole Says:
June 25th, 2015 at 10:11 am
want to know if anyone can or knows of why chocolate mint that was in the container had holes and then told to plant in ground . . and then was none. did mix wih the other mints and then none or was it something else and the ordered more and then got and then nochoclate taste but the peppermint yes.
louise batby Says:
August 29th, 2015 at 2:25 pm
I live in the west indies and my mint is not doing too well planted in a box container about 20 centimètres deep. I lined the raised box with plasic and then covered it with earth so the water doesn’t leak out – could this be the problem>? the air is extremely humid now as it’s the cyclonic season!
Faye Hirsty Says:
September 24th, 2015 at 11:08 am
I followed the general instructions planting my mint in a partially sunny area. However, I was not sure if I should have the pot in the ground or above the ground to prevent the mint from spreading.

Does the pot stay at ground level, or below the ground? I dug down about 4.5 inches and placed the pot inside the ground. I can still move it up. Thanks for your help.
Administrator Says:
December 24th, 2015 at 6:22 am
Above the ground, and you have to monitor it to make sure the mint doesn’t grow over the edge and touch the ground. That said, it doesn’t really spread that much.
Shana Says:
April 27th, 2017 at 7:55 am
I have mint in a container and I live in zone 5. When will it began to grow back? It doesn’t look like it is alive.
Administrator Says:
May 8th, 2017 at 3:18 pm
In all the years I lived in zone 5 mint always came back, though yes, sometimes it took time. Spearmint on the other hand, in a pot, sometimes did not. If your container is very small and was very exposed it may not have made it.