How to Grow Mint in 5 Simple Steps!

INSIDE: LEARN HOW TO GROW AND HARVEST MINT WITHOUT LETTING IT TAKE OVER THE GARDEN

I love mint…all things mint. The smell, the taste, the benefits….REALLY!!! It is an amazing ~~weed~~ herb.

Mint can take over the garden really quickly, if it is not trained. Since the benefits are so plentiful, figuring out how to care for them is well worth the effort.

**Personal side note: I thought I had killed my mint this year. It was doing great for weeks and then it was brown and dry. I didn’t understand what happened. I moved it to a different area of the garden, watered it, cut it back by 3 branches, and it came back with a vengeance!

Like the basil plant, you can purchase a mint plant from the grocery store for a few dollars and grow it right on your window sill.

Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure.

OR you can make your way to Home Depot and purchase a Bonnie plant.

1 – Sunlight

Mint plants like FULL sun or partial shade. Direct sun will not hurt this plant.

2 – Soil

Place some well-nourished soil in a container and then your mint plant. I HIGHLY recommend container planting! It is really hard to contain mint if it is in the ground. ***Another note – because this plant can be aggressive, turn the container every 2 weeks to keep the roots from coming out of the bottom and taking root into the ground.

3 – Harvesting

Keys to pruning mint:

Pick leaves as you need them OR
Cut a whole branch just above the second set of leaves and pinch the leaves off from there – if you use this method, you can 5-6 harvests per plant per season. The branches will grow new sprouts pretty quickly.

Pretty simple right? RIGHT….

4 – Storage

If you take care of your mint, there will be plenty to share….so how should you store your mint?

Give it away. However, I prune the mint plant and store it in air tight plastic bags…then I give it away. I don’t really like for others to harvest their own. Many people don’t understand to pinch leaves vs cut the branch.
Freeze it. Pinch the leaves off the branch (either the whole branch or just as you see fit), wash and dry the leaves. Place the leaves in an air tight freezer safe bag. And place in the freezer.
Dry it. Wash and dry the leaves. Warm your oven to the lowest temperature, place a layer of mint leaves on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake on the top rack for 2 hours. Once it is dry, crack the dried mint, and store it in an air tight container.
OR Freeze it. Chop it finely OR leave it whole, add to ice cube trays, and then add water. Place it in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can remove the cubes and place in a freezer bag to save space. You can use the cubes in tea, water, or mojitos.

5 – Propagating

We LOVE sustainability. And mint can be sustainable just like every other plant.

Cut a piece of stalk about 4-6 inches long. Make your cut just below a sprout of leaves.
Remove the leaves closest to the cut.
Submerge the stalk end into a jar/cup of water. It is best to use a clear jar/cup so you can see the roots form.
Place the jar/cup on the window sill, or some place it will get lots of direct sunlight.
Change the water, in its entirety every 3 days UNTIL you have roots. When you start to see roots, just add water instead of changing it out.
Once you have about 2 inches of root growth, you can plant your new mint in soil.

Not sure what to do with your mint once it’s grown? Check out this post for ideas.

Happy Gardening,