If you feel like making some mint tea or need a garnish for your chocolate brownies, feel free to pluck a few leaves or stems as you need them. Your plants will grow back quickly enough. This keeps the plant under control and encourages bushier growth. At the end of the growing season, you can cut your entire plant down to an inch above the soil. This helps to control its spread and gives you a last-minute batch of tasty herbs for the coming winter.
If you plan to use your leaves within the week, you can wrap them in a damp paper towel and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. You can also stand the stems upright in water as you would a bouquet of flowers, and place in the fridge. Peppermint leaves dry well. You can bundle them up and hang them in a cool, dry, protected space for several weeks.
I lay the stems out on a screen for a few days in a dry, protected area with good air circulation. Drying the leaves mellows out the menthol flavor a bit, so you lose some of that pungent, peppery bite. You can also freeze the leaves. To do this, wash them and place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Read more about freezing herbs here. Two words: peppermint chocolate.
But the zingy herb is delicious in savory dishes, too. Dried, chopped, and tossed with some butter, it makes a unique popcorn topping. Fresh or dried peppermint can complement lamb, poultry, or fish dishes. The trick is to use a small amount, because it has such a bold flavor. You can also, of course, use it in drinks. Why not try this Dark Mint Dream cocktail from our sister site, Foodal? Add a handful of fresh or dried leaves to a teapot and allow to steep for a few minutes for a refreshing hot drink.
For more cooking inspiration, check out these mint recipes on our sister site, Foodal. Whether or not you love desserts, peppermint makes a marvelous addition to any herb garden. Having a patch of the pungent herb is a sensory experience.
When the sun warms the leaves I sometimes find myself taking a moment to pause and enjoy the fragrance. In the summer when the honeybees are buzzing around the plants, I like to soak in the sound of these industrious insects. Are you growing peppermint in your herb garden?
Let me know in the comments below! And for more information about growing members of the mint family in your garden, check out these guides next:.
See our TOS for more details. Product photos via Arbico Organics and Burpee. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. With additional writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet or using plant-based remedies or supplements for health and wellness.
Kristine Lofgren is a writer, photographer, reader, and gardening lover from outside Portland, Oregon. She was raised in the Utah desert, and made her way to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs in Her passion is focused these days on growing ornamental edibles, and foraging for food in the urban and suburban landscape. While it is true you cannot collect Peppermint seeds from a Peppermint plant that will grow, Peppermint seeds are still a thing.
How else would the hybrid have been created if not by the seeds produced from the cross pollination of 2 varieties of mint…? You can cross pollinate, and the resulting seeds will grow a sterile hybrid, right? But if you tried to cross-pollinate those same plants again, the resulting cross would be very unlikely to grow into the peppermint we have today. So technically, yes, peppermint seeds could exist.
When it … Read more ». Mentha x piperita If the very thought of a peppermint patty makes your mouth water guilty! Growing Tips Keep soil moist but not waterlogged Plant in full sun to part shade Keep plants in check through pruning and dividing Cultivars to Select As mentioned, peppermint will not grow from seed.
Mentha x piperita — Peppermint You can find a set of three peppermint plants available at Burpee. It has a compact growth habit, topping out at about 16 inches tall, with deep red stems. Chocolate M. This cultivar is less susceptible to verticillium wilt. Variegated Variegated peppermint M. Quick Reference Growing Guide. Facebook 23 Twitter Pinterest About Kristine Lofgren Kristine Lofgren is a writer, photographer, reader, and gardening lover from outside Portland, Oregon.
More Posts Notify of. Oldest Newest Most Voted. Inline Feedbacks. Kristine Lofgren kristinelofgren. Reply to Brea 10 months ago. You are going to send email to. Move Comment. Plant Type:. Perennial herb. Native To:. Soil Type:. Clay, loamy, clay.
Soil pH:. Full sun to part shade. Soil Drainage:. Growth Rate:. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Companion Planting:. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, lettuce, peas, peppers. Planting Depth:. Same depth as root ball. Avoid Planting With:. Is it really possible to "eat what you want to eat" like bread and butter, cinnamon rolls and cookies, meat and potatoes We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse.
This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase though your price is the same. Katie Mae Stanley is the writer at Nourishing Simplicity , where the focus is on nourishing foods, herbal remedies, simple living and faith.
Ethnic and Mid-west foods are always a favorite in her kitchen and on her blog. Katie Mae spent 10 years as a missionary dorm "mama" for a gaggle almost 40 of amazing deaf girls at a school for the deaf in Baja California, Mexico.
Now she finds herself state side ready to embrace God's next adventure. A cup of tea or coffee and a bit of dark chocolate make an appearance at some point in any given day. Grow in pots only!!! I had this growing on the side of my house and it took over. Had to poison it to get rid of it! Which herbal pesticide to be use for removing fungus? And which organic fertilizer to be use for best growth. Hi, my mint had a few stems full of leaves when I bought it. First, it started to grow, but then all the stems dried but one, I thought all the plant would die but this remaining stem kept growing up.
I had a lavander before and it died and had the same white bugs, but just the white ones. Someone knows how to get rid of them? Those methods are exactly how I start my mint.
I buy some at the grocery store. I remove the leaves as I either cook with them, use them in salads or make a couple of mint juleps. I snip just below a node. I do leave a couple small leaves at the top. I put the prepped cuttings in a small glass of water. After weeks tiny white roots are forming. When they are fairly substantial looking I transplant them into my small mint garden … usually weeding, loosening the soils a bit adding a bit of garden soil for added nutrition.
I could probably stop buying new mint but I just like making the cuttings and putting them into the ground. Some plants roots quickly; some root slowly. So far the basil is one of those slow rooting plants. During the time when you kept it in glass of water where did you keep it.?? How much sunlight does it require!? Optional is to add soluble roofing hormone to the hydroponic liquid, or to dip the bottom of the stem into rootone as you put it in the liquid.
As soon as a few roots or nodelus show plant in soil or other growing medium. I am trying to grow mint from store bought cuttings using second method. I put them in water yesterday. The thing is they were not fresh leaves and were kinda wrinkled but still green when I put them in water. They were also kinda long as I did not want to cut off too much of the stem.
Today I saw that few of the leaves have started to dry out. What can I do to make sure they stay healthy and form roots?
Will they continue growing or will they wither off and fall? I have propagated a section of mint in a glass of water for the first time a couple of months ago. I decided to plant by covering the stem in soil and letting the off-shoots face upwards. Step 1 Take cuttings from the top growth of your mint plant, about 8cm in length. Cutting a stem of mint. Placing mint stems in a glass of water.
Planting rooted mint cuttings in compost. Firm compost around the stems and water well. Top up with compost if necessary. Watering the new mint plant. Trimming young mint stems.
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