Mint: planting, growing, propagating

Description and Botany

The mints are native to Europe and Asia and, more generally, to temperate zones. The genus name Mentha is derived from Greek mythology. Indeed, we find the name Menthé (or Mentha or even Mintha), which is the name of a nymph who falls in love with Hades, the lord of the Underworld. Persephone, Hades’ wife, takes revenge on this relationship and transforms Menthé into a plant.

The French common names for mint were numerous and varied according to the regions, uses, and species of mints. However, the root “ment” was often present; another name commonly given was “balm” for its use as an ointment.

From popular knowledge to beliefs and superstitions, mint has accompanied humanity through the centuries. It was used for its calming or stimulating properties, aphrodisiac and refreshing qualities, and in certain rituals for its purifying properties.

Mints (Mentha spp.) are aromatic herbaceous perennials from the Lamiaceae family. They measure between 10 and 90 cm in height depending on the varieties and growing conditions. The diversity of wild and cultivated species is significant, with no fewer than 18 species and a multitude of cross-breeds. Among cultivated species, the four most common are:

• Peppermint (Mentha x piperata)
• Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
• Round-leaved mint (Mentha rotundifolia)
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

Botanical aspects vary, but they all share a common feature: they produce erect stems, branched, more or less villous, with a square section, a typical character of the Lamiaceae family. The stems are green (reddish for peppermint) and bear round to ovate lanceolate leaves, dentate, more or less crinkled, and strongly aromatic. Flowering occurs from June to September. The flower spikes rise and bear spikes, heads, or inflorescences in whorls, with small pink-purple flowers. They require the presence of insects to carry pollen and perform pollination. The fertilised flowers develop into small seeds.

Mint in bloom, particularly melliferous, attracts a wide variety of insects[/caption>

The main varieties of mint

There are many varieties of mint, the most well-known being spearmint, peppermint, pennyroyal, and round-leaved mint. Depending on the variety, the leaves will offer you a whole range of fragrances.

 

Peppermint – Spearmint – Round-leaved mint – Pennyroyal

Varieties of spearmint or sweet mint

Varieties of peppermint

Varieties of round-leaved mint

Other varieties to discover

Mentha spicata Nannah

Nannah is a variety of Moroccan spearmint, ideal for mint tea. Its light green crinkled leaves exude a pleasant fresh fragrance.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Mentha spicata Wintergreen - Mint

The ‘Wintergreen’ variety of spearmint surprises with its pronounced fragrance. Use it for mint tea or to add freshness to your dishes in the kitchen.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Mentha espagnole

Spanish mint is a variety of spearmint like Moroccan mint. It gives off a refreshing fragrance and is ideal in teas or for flavouring your dishes in the kitchen.

• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Mentha piperita

Peppermint is a mint with a pungent aroma, a very good variety to dry for herbal teas or to cook with to flavour salads, tabbouleh, or desserts.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Mentha piperita chartreuse

Chartreuse Mint is a variety of peppermint with a well-spiced aroma. It is used for distillation and is part of the composition of the famous liqueur of the same name.

• Flowering time September, October
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Mentha piperita officinalis Alba - Mint

A medicinal variety of peppermint, also known as white mint. The leaves of these varieties are lower in menthol and higher in menthone, a compound used in perfumes. Very good for culinary use.

• Flowering time September, October
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Mentha rotundifolia Ananas

A beautiful variety of variegated round-leaved mint exuding a sweet fragrance with notes of apple and pineapple. Ideal for making desserts or mixing with green tea or for infusions.

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Apple Mint

Apple mint is a variety of round-leaved mint with a sweet aroma reminiscent of apple.

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Mentha requienii - Mint

Corsican mint, also known as Corsican moss, has the particularity of having a creeping habit, forming a low carpet of small round leaves with a strong fragrance, reminiscent of peppermint.

• Flowering time August to October
• Height at maturity 5 cm

See the product sheet

Hart's Pennyroyal - Mentha cervina

Deer mint is distinguished by its lanceolate leaves and creeping habit, making it quite discreet in the garden. Its fragrance is very strong and pronounced, surprising and pleasant.

• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Mentha pulegium seeds

Pennyroyal is a bushy variety of mint with evergreen foliage and a fragrance similar to spearmint but more pronounced and lemony. It is consumed dried.

• Flowering time August to November
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

 

Growing Mint

Mints are perennial plants that are grown for two or three years because, beyond that, they tend to exhaust themselves and become less productive. Choose carefully the location where you wish to sow or plant them: mint spreads very quickly due to its running roots. You can also grow it in pots, which allows you to control its expansion.

Soil and Exposure

Mints thrive in all exposures, but it is best to place them preferably in partial shade. They prefer humus-bearing, well-draining, and cool soils, even slightly moist and non-calcareous. If your soil is poor, add well-matured compost in the previous autumn, by scratching it in to a depth of 5 cm, after properly loosening the soil.

Mint is established, whether from seeds or young plants, in previously loosened and well-weeded soil. To do this, loosen the soil using a broad fork or a spading fork, taking care to remove any weeds and adventive plants.

Maintaining Mint

Maintaining mint is simple:

• Water frequently during hot weather and in drying soils.
• After flowering, cut back the plants to encourage new shoots.
• Control its expansion once a year if it becomes too invasive in your vegetable garden or herb garden.

Companion Planting with Mint

Mints pair well with fruit trees, benefiting from the coolness of their crowns and not negatively affecting fruit yields. On the contrary, mints are useful; during flowering, they attract many beneficial insects that will act positively on pests of fruit trees.

However, I do not recommend mixing it with vegetable beds, except when grown in buried pots placed in strategic locations such as near carrot rows to deter carrot flies or between cabbages to try to dissuade cabbage whites from laying their eggs under their leaves.

Planting mint in the garden

Mint from buckets should be planted in spring, ideally in April and May, although it is possible to plant them later. There is no ideal exposure for mint as they thrive in all exposures, with a slight preference for partial shade.

Planting in open ground

When planting in open ground, allow for an spacing of 30 cm between two clumps of plants. As with sowing, planting should be done in loosened and weeded soil. To plant:

1. Dig a hole that matches the size of the young plant, enriching with well-rotted compost if necessary.
2. Place two to three mint plants in each planting hole.
3. Fill the gaps with soil.
4. Water for the first time. Rainwater warmed in the sun is preferable.

Its location in the vegetable garden

I do not recommend planting mint in the middle of vegetable beds, unless it is contained in a buried pot as we have just seen. If you want it to grow more freely (without root barriers), it is wiser to cultivate it in a herb bed or under larger fruit trees.

Potted mint for the balcony or terrace

On the terrace or balcony, mint is easy to grow in a pot. Here’s how to plant and care for it properly.

How to plant mint in a pot?

To plant a mint plant in a pot:

1. Place one to two centimetres of clay balls or pumice at the bottom of a pot (with drainage holes) for drainage.
2. Fill your pot with universal potting soil that you can enrich with your homemade compost, using 1/3 compost to 2/3 potting soil.
3. Transplant one to three buckets of young plants in the centre of the pot (depending on the size of the pot) to form nice clumps.
4. Water with a watering can; lukewarm water is always preferable.

Care tips for pot cultivation

To keep your mints healthy:

• Initially, when the plants are young, immerse the pot in a bucket of water for a few minutes once a week (or more during dry periods).
• When the plants have established well, water from the top or soak your pots in lukewarm water in the sun, preferably rainwater.
• As with the vegetable garden, choose a sunny or slightly shaded spot and ensure that the soil does not dry out too much at all times.

If you start with plants purchased from a shop, don’t hesitate to cut half of the stems before repotting the plant. This operation will stimulate your plant to produce new roots and new shoots.

Mint adapts very well to pot cultivation

Sowing mint

Sowing mints is less common than direct planting; however, it is useful for obtaining rare species and varieties or a large quantity of young plants. Sowing takes place from March to July and can be done in a nursery under cover or in open ground.

Sowing under cover in buckets

Sowing under cover in buckets is done from March to May.

1. Fill buckets with special sowing compost.
2. Sow the seeds in clusters, with 4 to 5 seeds per cluster.
3. Cover with a layer of sowing compost equal to the thickness of the seeds using a sieve (ideally), and lightly press down with your fingers.
4. Water lightly using a water sprayer.
5. To encourage germination, cover the buckets with a glass. Ventilate during the day by lifting the glass once the seedlings have appeared.
6. After germination, thin out to keep only one young plant per bucket.
7. In autumn or the following spring, depending on the development of the young plants, transplant them into open ground. Allow 30 cm in all directions between the young plants. Water to keep the soil moist.

Direct sowing in open ground

1. Sow very sparsely from mid-May, when the soil is warm enough.
2. Cover lightly with fine soil (only 1 to 2 mm).
3. Firm down lightly with the back of a rake.
4. Water finely and keep the soil moist. After germination, thin out to maintain 30 cm in all directions between the young plants.

Multiplying mint: sowing and cuttings

Sowing your own mint seeds (harvested by yourself) is quite rarely practiced as the species hybridise very easily with one another. However, if curiosity drives you to try, don’t hesitate; you may make some wonderful discoveries! You will then just need to propagate these beautiful creations vegetatively, as we will see with these three techniques.

Repotting the rootstocks

1. In spring, the clumps from the previous year are uprooted, and the rootstocks are collected.
2. Simply cut sections of rootstocks about 5 cm long with pruning shears. It is preferable to ensure that the rootstocks have some roots.
3. Plant them in pots or in the ground at a depth of 5 cm.
4. Water to encourage good establishment.

Dividing the clumps

1. In autumn or spring, uproot the clumps and divide them into several pieces using a good knife.
2. Replant them in pots or in the ground, enriching their new location.
3. Water well to help the plants establish.

→ Learn more in our tutorial How to easily divide mint?

Taking cuttings from the stems

1. Take several non-floriferous stems about 10 cm long. Remove the leaves from the base.
2. Place them in a glass of water filled with clean rainwater (preferably).
3. Change the water regularly (twice a week) to prevent mould development.
4. After about 1 month, repot the cuttings into pots.
5. Plant out in the following spring, in April-May when the risk of frost has passed.

Harvesting, preserving, and using mint

Harvesting Mint

Mint leaves can be harvested as needed from April to October. Choose the largest and undamaged leaves and cut the entire stem to encourage regrowth. Preferably harvest in the morning to make the most of mint’s aromatic qualities.

Mint stems generally do not withstand winter cold, unless the winter is mild, but in that case, their fragrance is significantly diminished. It is possible and even recommended to harvest the stems in summer, just before flowering, dry them, blanch them, and store them for use during the winter months.

Proper Storage

While it is enjoyable to consume freshly cut mint leaves, it is even better to make your own dried mint!

To store mint leaves, dry them on trays away from light until they lose as much moisture as possible. They should be completely dry and crumble easily between your fingers. They are then blanched (separated from the stems) and stored in airtight containers or kraft bags for herbal teas, which should be kept away from light.

Using Mint in Cooking or Infusions

• Fresh LeavesIn cooking, use them from starters to desserts, to flavour salads and raw vegetables, peas, Lebanese tabbouleh, summer grills, yogurt-based sauces, or fruits. The leaves are also delicious in infusions with hot chocolate or for making your own homemade mint syrup.

• Dried Leaves Dried peppermint leaves can be used to prepare an infusion, taken before or after meals to aid digestion. It is made by adding a pinch of leaves per cup, infused for 5 minutes. This infusion can also replace coffee as a caffeine-free stimulant. Use spearmint leaves (for example, the Nannah variety) to prepare Moroccan mint tea. This tea is made with green tea, such as Gunpowder, and sugar. In the warm season, it can also be made with fresh leaves.

Dried Mint – Mint Tea

The benefits of mint

Mints are refreshing, and we owe this property to menthol, a molecule that triggers this sensation of coolness. Peppermint is the species with the highest concentration of menthol.

Mint has antispasmodic, antiseptic properties, as well as tonic and calming virtues. Mint stimulates digestion, and in this case, it can be used as an infusion of leaves after a heavy meal. The same application can be used to prevent insomnia. Its stimulating properties are also said to be aphrodisiac.

Peppermint essential oil is used for its tonic, antiseptic, and decongestant properties. A drop of peppermint essential oil applied to the temples and along the forehead works wonders for relieving a migraine. Be sure to check the precautions for using this essential oil, as it can be toxic to babies.