Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 5: Choosing a Species of Mint
• Part 2 of 5: Planting a mint
• Part 3 of 5: Choosing a Pot
• Part 4 of 5: Planting mint in a pot
• Part 5 of 5: Keeping a Potted Mint
• What do you need

Have you decided to plant herbs in your garden? Mint is an ideal starting point. It is usually grown in pots because mint is extremely invasive and its roots grow quickly. There are about 600 varieties of mint - pick one and provide the plant with enough water and sun to grow well.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Choosing a Species of Mint

1. 1 Choose peppermint. It has a brighter and stronger aroma, suitable for tea or general use.
2. 2 If your garden, patio, or windows get lots of light and warmth all year round, go for curly mint. It is widely used in the southern United States.
3. 3 Choose pineapple mint if you choose to plant it next to other plants. It is one of the less invasive species of mint.
4. 4 Choose lemon mint if you like the refreshing citrus scent of lemonade or iced tea.
5. 5 Try apple mint for a subtler aroma with fresh apple notes. This variety is popular in fresh salads and drinks.

Part 2 of 5: Planting a mint

1. 1 Buy mint seedlings from your garden store. Mint is not easy to grow from seed - if you are a seasoned gardener, do it. Plant it directly in soil or compost after bringing the mint home.
   • The garden store will have more varieties of mint, but you can find mint seedlings and plants at your local farmers' market and supermarket.
2. 2 Take a scion from a mature mint plant. Ask a friend for a mint shoot (the one grown in a pot) or visit your local horticultural center. Cut with sharp scissors about one centimeter above the stem joint. The scion should be 10-15 centimeters long. Remember to remove most of the leaves from it.
3. 3 Buy mint from the fresh food section of your supermarket. This does not guarantee that you will be able to grow a plant from each cut, but it is a good way to use leftover mint if you want to experiment.
4. 4 Fill a clean glass with water. Place the freshly cut twigs in a glass to take root. Keep them in a warm, sunny place and watch out for white roots.
   • Add as much water as necessary to keep the glass full.
5. 5 Wait for the roots to grow 5 cm before planting the plant in the ground. If their length is greater, it is not scary, the main thing is not less.

Part 3 of 5: Choosing a Pot

1. 1 Purchase a pot at least 30 cm in diameter. Mint needs a lot of space to grow.
2. 2 Choose a pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Mint thrives in well-drained soil. Get a saucer and place it under the pot to avoid staining your windowsill or patio.
3. 3 Get an extra, much larger pot if you want to plant mint and other herbs together. You can put a 30 cm pot in a larger pot next to other herbs. Keep in mind that many varieties of mint can grow into an entire pot through the holes in the bottom of the pot.
   • If you want to plant mint with other herbs, separate them at the end of the season.

Part 4 of 5: Planting mint in a pot

1. 1 Purchase sand compost from your local garden supply store. You can also combine soil with fertile compost. For good growth, mint needs fertile and well-drained soil.
2. 2 Fill a third of the pot with compost and soil.
3. 3 Place the mint shoot or sapling in the pot. Tuck in the roots if they are too long for the pot.
4. 4 Fill the area around the mint with soil. Fill the area just enough for the mint to stand on its own.
5. 5 Line a portion of the garden with plastic if you plan to plant a potted plant in the soil but still want to keep mint from spreading. When placing a potted mint in the ground in the garden, remember that it (the pot) should rise 12 cm above the soil surface.
   • If possible, avoid planting mint in your garden. Place it on your patio or windowsill to avoid overgrowth.
6. 6 To support the plant, insert a few wooden pegs into the ground next to it. They can be removed when the plant is rooted.

Part 5 of 5: Keeping a Potted Mint

1. 1 Water the soil so that it is well saturated. For the first year, water the mint whenever the soil becomes dry. The land in which mint grows should always remain moist.
   • When the weather is hot, water the mint several times a day.
2. 2 Keep the mint on the east side. The plant thrives when it receives at least six hours of sunshine per day, but it also needs to be protected from the scorching sun of the day. If you live in climates where there is little sunshine in winter, the tops of the mint can die off.
3. 3 Wait for the plant to grow and the leaves are large before cutting and using the mint. When that happens, frequent cutting will keep the plant lush and the leaves will give you a rich scent.
4. 4 Cut off the top half of the plant with sharp scissors. Cut one centimeter above the stem junction and below the flower buds. Do not trim more than one third of the leaves at a time.
   • If the mint begins to bloom, the plant will send most of the nutrients to the flowers, which will slow down the growth of the leaves.
5. 5 Share the mint every few years. Cut the soil into quarters and then plant each piece in a new 30cm pot. If you do not do this, you can forget about the good growth of mint.

What do you need

• Mint seedlings
• Sharp scissors
• Large mature mint plant
• 30 cm pot with drainage holes
• Saucer
• The soil
• Compost
• Windowsill
• Water
• Cup
• Wooden pegs