Zone 10A, Oviedo, Florida: I am showing my gardening folks who kept telling me they have trouble keeping their mint alive how I grow mint year round.
Mint Varieties
Mint? What mint? Here are some mint varieties I am growing or have grown. This document shows my spearmint but the care and growth habit applies to all the mints I have grown below:
- Spearmint
- Peppermint
- Pineapple mint
- Chocolate mint
My mint growing journey started from the spearmint cuttings from the Asian markets. All southeast Asian markets sell bagged mints for less than $3. I stick the cuttings into a 4-inch potting mix or in a pot where I want it to grow for the season. Water it well everyday until the roots are established. Mint roots are very aggressive once established. Growers would mostly likely recommend to grow mints in a pot because they are aggressive and can take over the entire yard or even lawn.
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Choose the Right Pot Size!
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Spearmint and peppermint are two commonly used mints for Vietnamese cuisines so I plant three cuttings per 10 or 15-gallon plastic barrel planters. This will last me on season. Most common mistakes growers do is but the potted 4-inch mint and continue to keep it in that tiny pot or grow mint in those cute one-gallon size decorative pot thinking and expecting the herb will not grow anymore. Come on now! It’s a live plant. Any live plant will continue growing. Mint is an aggressive herb that needs a lot of space to grow and spread their roots.
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Potting Mix
I just used regular Lowe’s Sta Green Potting Mix for Vegetables and Herb for my potted mints. I would add half of content with half fine pines mulch as fillers.
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Re-Potting Mint
Once the mint gets root bound, they get stressed and start to bolt flowers and just isn’t good for harvesting. It’s time to take the herb out and report with fresh healthy cuttings or choose a healthy rooted piece to start all over again. If you use mint often, plant it in two pots. So when you start to re-pot the mint, you will have the other as a backup for harvesting.
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I learned that mint do not do well in the mid summer heat here in Central Florida. So I moved the pot into an area with mostly shaded during the summer time.
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Harvesting and tipping the mint stems will keep it branching out and leafy.
Images of the different mints in my garden:
