Growing Herbs: Mint

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are many things you can say about mint. It's a great tasting and versatile herb to have in the kitchen. It's a fragrant plant to have in the garden. It makes a great ground cover. And...it's invasive. Tell a gardener that any plant they plan to put in the garden is mint and watch them drop it like a hot potato. Mint and many other plants in this family are notoriously invasive. So much so that there is invasive and then there is mint invasive. With a reputation like that, why in the world would any gardener want it? Well, for all the reasons listed ahead of invasive--great tasting herb and fantastic smelling garden plant. There are easy ways to keep this herb in check and enjoy it's great taste and fantastic fragrance. 

Growing and Harvesting Mint

Mint is perennial here in Minnesota and there are several different cultivars you can grow. The most common are peppermint (mentha piperita) which is hardy to zone 3 or Spearmint (mentha spicata) which is hardy to zone 4. Others include orange mint, applemint, gingermint and many others. My personal favorite is chocolate mint (zone 4 or 3 depending on the source) because it tastes and smells great and also has great ornamental qualities with dark veined foliage. 

Since mint's hardiness actually translates into extreme invasive-ness, what's a gardener to do? There are a couple of options. One, grow mint as a container plant which you then bring inside during the winter months. Fresh mint all year! I've used chocolate mint as a trailing ornamental in container combos (looks great with ruby red geraniums and other dark foliage). It did go wild and was all over the ground but didn't plant itself. This is because mint spreads by rhizomes which are shoots that come off of the roots. If the roots are contained, the plant will behave.

Which bring us to option two. I really don't recommend that you plant it in the garden unless you are prepared for it to take over. I read one comment by a gardener who threw it out in what she called the north 40 where she assumed it would die because of competition from other plants and lack of attention. She now has only mint back there. If you wish to grow mint as a perennial in the garden without the worry of it taking over everything, this can be easily done by planting the mint in a large bottomless container that is then planted in the garden with the edge of the container at least 3 inches above the soil. Control the roots, and you control the plant. 

Mint grows in full sun or partial shade and average soil. They are easily prone to dehydration and prefer moist soil. In addition to being a great herb for kitchen use, mint attracts bees and butterflies to the garden. However, mint tastes better before it flowers so you might want to plant some for yourself to keep pinched back and some for the pollinators that you let go to flower. 

Pinch leaves off throughout the season for fresh use. If your plant is spending the winter months outside, mint can be preserved in a variety of ways. Chopped leaves can be added to water to be frozen in ice cube trays or full stems will keep for several weeks in the freezer in zip top storage bags. Mint does very well dried. It can either be hung to dry or on drying racks. When completely dry, strip stems from leaves and store in an airtight container. 

Using Mint

What can't you use mint in? Use it in refreshing summer beverages such as lemonade, iced tea or mojitos (chocolate mint is a customer favorite in this drink). Add chopped leaves to butter for use on toast and crackers. For an easy and delicious dessert, add chopped fresh mint to softened ice cream. Refreeze for 30 minutes and serve. Divine! The leaves can also be brewed into tea which is known to soothe an upset stomach and promote sleep. I love this idea for mint ice cubes! I'm going to have those on hand all year. Check allrecipes.com for more mint recipes.

Next week:  Dill