Containing Mint

Harness its vigor in the garden, enjoy its bracing flavor in the kitchen

Sometimes in the summer , I slip aside to a cloak-and-dagger smudge on our farm . This is The Herbfarm ’s dump , a collecting ground of cast - off potting grime and dispossessed plant life . Here , amid motley speckle of other herb , the robustmintshave made a base . And how they thrive ! By July , I can stroll breast - trench through Brobdingnagian , tidy patches of peppermint , Mentha spicata , and orchard apple tree mint .

No kitchen garden should be without at least a few mint plants . For drunkenness or desserts , or to pair with savory foods , mint ’s clear and bracing feel has earned it a topographic point in many recipes .

But pot is never content to persist put , and can be one of the most trespassing plants in the garden . So to forfend starting an herbal jungle , you ’ll desire to keep mint in tick .

Start with two mints

Mint want to cover the earth . impart to its own devices , mint multiplies by sending out fast - spreading clandestine runners .

Though there are names for 600 mints or more , there are only 25 or so rightfully distinguishable forms . Because mints queer and hybridize easily , it is best to propagate them by taking cuttings , dividing roots , or bribe plant rather than starting them from seminal fluid .

Before you begin planting alien muckle , pop with the two cornerstones of any kitchen mint appeal — peppermint and spearmint . Peppermint ( Mentha piperita ) , with its head - clarification fragrance and heroic , menthol - cool flavor , make the decided nod for tea , for dessert , and for taming spicy fare . Peppermint is popular in Middle Eastern , African , and southeastern - Asiatic culinary art because its cooling effect offset the fiery factor .

Peppermint leaves are dark green , fluent , and have flyspeck serration along the edges , as the exposure at right show . The radical is touched with a deep reddish blue , almost deep brown , people of colour . Peppermint loves partial subtlety , unspoilt full-bodied soil , and moisture .

In our restaurant , we pick out Mentha spicata ( Mentha spicata ) to go with savoury fare . Because its flavor is n’t as overpowering as peppermint ’s , Mentha spicata accentuates the subtle , natural sweetness of meats and vegetable . It also blends well in water ice and dessert sauces .

Spearmint leave are thinner , more pointed , and more coarsely serrated along the edges than peppermint leave of absence . They ’re a medium - green color and have an overall pebbled texture , understandably manifest in the top photo . Spearmint tolerates more sun and a somewhat drier soil than does peppermint .

Once you ’ve contract a basic eyepatch growing , seek experimenting with other mints . hot chocolate peppermint is a good choice for desserts and confections . True mint and curly mint can substitute for spearmint . Exotic mints , such as Ananas comosus mint , lemon mint , apple mint , and ginger mint , are often more aromatic than our two mainstays , but are commonly less flavorful .

Growing mint

Growing mint• Start with cuttings or plant , not seeds.• Plant in containers to keep mint from spreading.• Water the soil deeply.• Pinch back for bushier plants.• thin out plant life to the ground as winter approaches.• water parting and repot root - bound plant .

Potted mint can’t stray

Creative gardeners have tried almost everything to keep mint from infest neighboring beds and walkway . At our farm , we curtail its habit by planting it in terra - cotta chimney - flue liners . These can be typeset directly on the priming or partially buried , and because they have no bottoms , drainage is n’t a job . By playing around with their placement , you may add architectural pastime and appealingness to your garden .

Flue liners are available from building or Freemasonry provider . They are 1 ft . square and 2 foot . long , but they can be shortened using a rotary adage with a masonry leaf blade . Like most terra - cotta , the flue pipe ocean liner can spall — that is , they flake off in pieces with repeat exposure to rainfall , snowfall , and freezing . Our liners usually last five to eight days before their antique charm seems overweening .

To plant your mess container , you will need one to three mint plants per lining . fulfill the liner to within 1 in . of the top with plentiful potting dirt . Make a hole in the dirt a little heavy than the mint ’s root ball , place a plant in the hole , and pack the soil firmly around it . splosh the soil with a little time - release plant food if you wish . urine in the industrial plant well . Finally , positioning your finger like mine in the photo at unexpended , pinch off the top two to four leaves on each plant . This will make the mint ramify out and become shaggy-coated .

Keeping mint healthy

Water mint deeply and heavily once in a while , rather than watering it lightly more often . To aid prevent the spread of leaf diseases , such as rust , water the territory and not the foliage . cabbage off any leaves that have small brown daub on them — these could be rust . If your plant become heavy infested with rust , pull them up and thrust them out . If this seems too drastic , try cutting the plants back to the ground and sprinkle the surface of the soil with a liquified sulfur chemical compound .

Mint plant stay healthy and farm better if you plunk them on a regular basis and often . If you need just a little mint or want an attractive garnish , pinch off the top two stage set of parting . If you need a wad of mint , sheer the stems near the ground , leaving just a couple of leaves , as I ’m doing in the top correct photo on the face page . Do n’t worry — your mint heap will shortly be full of riotous raw increment .

good deal are perennial , but in most American clime they go abeyant or buy the farm back in the winter . Plants entrust above ground risk rot or becoming woody . So when wintertime plan of attack , cut your mints right to the ground . Plants that have been cut back to their roots will be more fecund the next year . In cold climate , protect the roots by piling mulch around the great deal or by bringing the pots into the service department until spring .

In about three years , your mint will probably outgrow its container . A certain sign that the plant is root - bound is when the center of the plant dies . Then it ’s time to lever your great deal from the container and make out the root mass into thirds , as I ’m doing in the exposure above . Then replant each third in young grease in a disjoined container .

Did you like this article ? Our new vane site , vegetablegardener.com , is your place to go to learn everything about raising edibles , from starting seed to preparing tasty dish antenna .

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mint planted in terra-cotta pots

Peppermint loves partial shade and moist soil. Its menthol-cool flavor perfectly complements spicy foods.

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Peppermint loves partial shade and moist soil. Its menthol-cool flavor perfectly complements spicy foods.

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