#Growing chocolate mint how to
#Growing chocolate mint full

Orange mint leaves and slices of oranges add fresh flavor to this pitcher of water. Mint flavors drinks from mojito to iced tea. Because mint tends to take over, many gardeners plant mint in a small pot and then plant that pot in the ground or inside a larger container. It usually dies back in the winter but comes back in spring. You can also preserve it in vinegar or dry it for potpourri or sachets. Two very well-known drinks, mint julep and Cuban mojito, both depend on spearmint for their cool zest. Mint also blends well with green or fruit salads and beverages such as punch, lemonade, and tea.

#Growing chocolate mint how to

How to Use and Store Mintįresh mint leaves are a nice complement to lamb, fish, poultry, and vegetables such as peas, new potatoes, and carrots.

Three such harvests per season are typical for mint. In the process, you will remove the yellowing lower leaves and promote bushier growth. For a large harvest, wait until just before the plant blooms, when the flavour is most intense, then cut the whole plant to just above the first or second set of leaves. Harvest mint leaves at any size by pinching off stems. Troubleshooting when Growing MintĪlthough mint is a rugged plant, when it is young it is vulnerable to whiteflies, blackflies, spider mites, snails, and slugs. Lift and replant your mint every 3 to 4 years to keep your patch's flavor and scent strong. Although slightly frost tolerant, the top of mint will eventually die back in winter except in zones 8 and south, but the root are quite hardy, surviving into zone 5 (some varieties even into zone 3). Mint's small flowers bloom from June to September trim these before the buds open to keep the plant compact. To help keep plants in check, harvest the tips regularly and pull up wayward runners. Be sure to keep the soil moist via regular watering and add mulch around the plant to help slow the evaporation of all that crucial moisture. Feed with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition (follow label directions), which feeds the soil as well as the plants. Mint is plenty vigorous on its own, but will grow even better when you pair great soil with regular doses of plant food, especially if you harvest a lot.

If you don't choose to test your soil, you can simply improve it by adding a few inches of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil, also enriched with aged compost, in with the top layer of existing soil. Mint prefers fertile soil with a pH from 6.0 to 7.0.

#Growing chocolate mint full

If you simply must plant mint directly in the ground (if you're using it as a ground cover, for example), select a damp area in your garden or yard in either full sun or part shade.

Give the pot a turn every week or two to keep roots from escaping through the drainage holes. To keep mint from taking over space needed by other plants, you may want to plant it solo in a 10″ pot, then plant the pot in a larger container or even in the ground. To give roots a just-right growing environment, fill the pot with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which contains aged compost to improve soil texture and nutrition. Try growing mint in a pot where you can keep it in check and handy near the kitchen for a constant supply of sprigs. After all, you can't go wrong with a company that's been supplying plants to home gardeners for over 100 years! Plant mint in the spring, or in the fall in frost-free climates, setting seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart. Soil, Planting, and Care for Growing Mintįirst, start off strong by planting young Bonnie Plants® mint plants.

Once plants are established, harvest mint leaves regularly by pinching off the stems.

Promote excellent leaf production by regularly feeding with a water-soluble plant food.

Keep soil consistently moist and water when the top inch becomes dry.

For container growing, consider a premium bagged potting mix.

Give your garden a great foundation by improving native soil with several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.

It's best to grow them in pots to keep them from taking over your garden (even if you're planting in the ground).

Space mint plants 18 to 24 inches apart.

This fast-growing herb can grow just about anywhere and makes an excellent addition to indoor and outdoor gardens.

Plant mint in spring after the last frost.

You can also contain mint in tight places such as between pavers of a walkway where your feet will brush against the leaves to release its fragrance. In the right place it makes a pretty seasonal ground cover.

Mint sends out runners that spread above and just below the ground, quickly forming large, lush green patches. All types of mint (including sweet mint, spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint) are fast-growing, spreading plants, so you must give them a place to spread without getting in the way, or plant them in a pot.