That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t plant mint. It is an absolutely lovely herb that is useful for so many things. Just plant it smartly.
This was a small spearmint plant in a 3.5 pot just three weeks ago. I planted it in a 14-inch pot that is relatively shallow (mint doesn’t have particularly deep roots) and you can see that it has almost filled the pot already. Mint sends out little runners that root and create new plants, which in turn creates one giant plant.
If you want to plant mind in your garden, plant it in a pot first, then sink that pot into the ground, but be careful to keep it raised at least a couple inches so that the runners that shoot out can’t touch the ground in the garden and root themselves there.
That tiny 3.5 inch plant will provide all the spearmint we could possibly need this summer, and then some. I wouldn’t be without it.
3 Responses
What if I sink a drainpipe deeply (about 3feet) into the ground and plant it in that?
Good advice about leaving the pot out of the ground. I have a pot of mint that I overwinter and it comes back nicely each year. But the roots are even growing out of the bottom now. In another part of the garden, there is a patch that I fight with constantly. It was here when we bought the house, so I'm not to blame for that one!!
Do you overwinter it or always start fresh?