How do you plant fresh mint?

How do you plant fresh mint?

Quick Guide to Growing Mint

1. Plant mint in spring after the last frost.
2. Space mint plants 18 to 24 inches apart.
3. Give your garden a great foundation by improving native soil with several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
4. Keep soil consistently moist and water when the top inch becomes dry.

Where should I plant mint in my garden?

Mints are vigorous perennials that thrive in light soil with good drainage. Ideally, they prefer a moist but well-drained site, something like their native habitat along stream banks. Most will grow in sun or partial shade; the variegated types may require some protection from direct sun.

What can you not plant mint with?

Avoid duplicating photos showing mint planted in a single windowsill container with other herbs: mint does NOT do well planted with other common herbs such as lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme, as these herbs prefer soil dry-down and sunny locations.

How do I keep my mint bushy?

Sprinkle the soil with a little time-release fertilizer if you wish. Water in the plants well. Finally, positioning your fingers like mine in the photo at left, pinch off the top two to four leaves on each plant. This will make the mint branch out and become bushy.

How do you trim mint so it keeps growing?

If you’re pruning mint during the growing season, cut the plants back by about half. This will remove the tips of the plant where the flowers would otherwise bloom and provide plenty of mint for fresh use, freezing, or drying.

Should I cut the flowers off my mint plant?

Growing mint in pots outdoors prevents it from taking over a garden bed, but you must remove the flowers before they form seeds so it doesn’t self-sow outdoors.

Why is my mint plant leggy?

Lack of sufficient sunlight over time may result in leggy growth as the plant sends out long, weak stems in search of adequate lighting, while enough sun helps the plant to produce full, compact growth.