Mint, refreshments for the summer

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Snip a whole stem of the largest leaves early in the morning and the fragrance follows you indoors. Mint (Mentha) is a Lamiaceae herb of 8 to 24 inches that flavours desserts, fruit salads, sauces, tea and mojitos; give it sun that never scorches and soil kept consistently moist, and the picking never stops.

Summary of main Mint facts

Forget about store-bought mint wrapped in plastic. That only keeps for a couple days. Best grow your own and pick a few leaves when you need it!

Rediscover what real mint tastes like!

Planting mint

Planting mint outdoors

You’ll often be purchasing your mint in pots: transplant it to the ground sometime in April.

You can also leave it in its original pot for a while for easy picking indoors or on a balcony.
What is best, though, for growing potted mint is to re-pot immediately after purchasing in a larger pot.

Planting mint indoors

This plant is perfectly suited to indoor growing, or on a balcony, in a pot or garden box.

Take care to water regularly so that the soil mix never dries up.

Where to grow mint: ground, pot or windowsill

Mint takes to three very different situations, and each one has its own planting moment and its own watering discipline. Use the table to pick the one that matches your space.

Whichever you choose, a pot or garden box is the safest option since most mints are rather invasive.

Collecting and harvesting mint

You can harvest mint leaves all spring and summer long right when you need it.

Select larger leaves, and snip the entire stem off, so that new shoots can appear.

It is preferable to pick the leaves early morning before the sun alters the flavor-bearing compounds in the leaves.

• Pinch off mint flower buds as they form: this keeps the plant producing tender new leaves and bushier growth rather than diverting energy into flowering and setting seed.
• Gardeners commonly advise harvesting no more than about a third of a plant at once, a rule of thumb rather than a fixed law, since remaining leaves photosynthesise to fuel regrowth.
• Cut the stem just above a pair of leaves, since new side shoots break from that junction and the plant regrows bushier rather than bare and leggy.
• To dry mint, tie the cut stems into small loose bunches and hang them upside down in a dark, dry, airy place, then strip the crisp leaves into an airtight jar.

Planting mint in a pot

It is very easy to grow your mint inside your house, on a balcony or terrace. The powerful fragrance released also spreads an agreeable smell throughout the house or along the terrace.

What is the best season to plant it?

There isn’t any “better” season to grow mint indoors.

You can really grow it all year long, even in winter.
Usually it is added to summer meals.

It is mostly grown from April to September-October, both indoors and outdoors.

Choose a sunny, well-lit space like a windowsill, but avoid direct sun.

• Water as soon as the soil is dry.
• Fertilize the soil for better productivity.

All there is to know about mint

Mint flavor pairs well with many meals, fruit salads and sauces and it is also famous for flavoring certain drinks, especially tea and mojito.

Growing it is rather easy as long as basic rules are followed.

• Favor full or part sun exposure but never scorching.
• Consistently moist soil.
• Fertilization from May to August.

There are 25 mint species. Simply remember that most of them are rather invasive and that growing them in pots or garden boxes will prevent them from spreading everywhere in the garden.

Mint and pests

Mint excels at repelling various pests. Place it in pots or containers around kale and lettuce to keep caterpillars of the white butterfly away.

Which mint to grow: eight varieties compared

• Mints differ far more in scent and vigour than their look suggests, and the one you pick decides whether you end up with tea, sauce or pudding leaves.
• Compare the flavour, the height and the usual kitchen job before you buy.

Strawberry mint, a delicious variety

Discover strawberry mint, a deliciously flavorful variety that tastes like strawberry!

In this video on mint, you’ll have the tips that a producer will give you directly to grow it well, use it in the kitchen, and he’ll give you his smart tip, too!

Read also on herbs and spices:

• Learn more about herbs and spices: best practices to grow and care for them