Info on how to grow Mint

[lesa]

That's funny SarahFair- she is probably still having nightmares!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

mint will even grow across water and set down lots of roots and shoots. (had aquatic mint at one time )

i've had the experience of having many types of mints growing together and i found that the strongest one will take over the others and crowd them out eventually. i had spearmint that crowded out my orange, chocolate, apple and pineapple mints. i was lucky enough that it finally died off somehow and i found a few sprigs of the other mints still trying to grow. now the apple mint has started to take over.

if you are going to use wood boards to create a 'bed' of some sort make sure they are about 12" wide or even wider. their roots/shoots can run everywhere-over, under and sometimes right through!

 

[lupinfarm]

But at least your garden will smell lovely every time you roll over your lawn of mint with the lawn mower?





Has anyone specifically used it as ground cover? I have a stoney area on one side of my picket fence (driveway side) that I need to cover in something that doesn't need mowing. Creeping thyme is also on my list, which I already have in my potager garden.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

yep! love the smell of the apple mint when it gets hit with the mower!

i think the orange mint was one of the low growers i had for mint. pineapple was one i noticed stayed low too.

have any of you ever checked out Richters.com for mints? i bought their 'banana' mint a few years ago but i can't tell now if it has died off and a weed that looks like it has taken over or if that is it since it has slowly moved out from the original planted area and never had much of a scent to begin with.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

In defense of mint. Sorry, I must sound like Miss-know-it-all. Not! I just have a lot of books, and I read. One of my herb books by Leslie Bremness says:

MINT:

Household uses:

Whole plant - Spearmint and peppermint - Grow near roses to deter aphids. Leaf - Scatter fresh or dried around food to deter mice. Spearmints Rub on a new beehive to attract bees. Use leaf oil to overpower tobacco smells. Pennyroyal Strew in cupboards, and beds to deter ants and fleas. Now when she says beds, I am not sure if it is garden or bedroom beds.

Cosmetics many, many uses. :bee

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i've seen that same thing about placing it in beds. i think it might be good for both areas (as i wouldn't want fleas in my bed! ) probably good in a pet's bed as well, but i use DE for those.

 

[aquarose]

I am moving my peppermint and spearmint from bottomless buckets in the ground to an old bathtub full of soil. Then I am going to buy a few other mints. I guess I will find out soon which is stongest!

 

[DawnSuiter]

But at least your garden will smell lovely every time you roll over your lawn of mint with the lawn mower?





Has anyone specifically used it as ground cover? I have a stoney area on one side of my picket fence (driveway side) that I need to cover in something that doesn't need mowing. Creeping thyme is also on my list, which I already have in my potager garden.

Mint was the only NICE thing growing here when we bought the house a few years ago. After hacking back everything to unbury the house, we found mint abounding everywhere. We've dug it up and transplanted it everywhere... including our dry creek bed, around our spa garden and when I built my outdoor shower a few years ago, I planted mint all around it.. now when you shower, the smell of fresh mint envelopes you.

It's great everywhere the dogs hide out, it's happy in mostly a partly shady spot, but sometimes in the wet clay here, it'll do well in the sun too.

It's super easy, you can beat the heck out of it, chop it up into tiny pieces and it'll STILL grow!

I think we have spearmint... but it also looks like chocolate mint too... I try to use it everywhere we walk...

 

[ducks4you]

I think that growing mint, and letting it spread is a personal preference. I, too, love it. My SIL can't stand it, and keeps pulling it out. C'est le vie. **sigh**

 

[desertgirl]

so if you do want to plant it, how do you do it? Can I just throw out some seeds and water them?