Mint
Never plant this genus directly into open garden soil unless you're prepared for it to spread indefinitely and are happy to actively manage that — a sunken or above-ground pot is the default recommendation here, not an optional precaution.
Care
Tolerates more shade than most herbs; part shade can help slow its spread slightly.
Likes consistently moist soil more than most Mediterranean-style herbs; dries out quickly in a pot.
Moisture-retentive soil of most types; unfussy about fertility.
Cut back hard after flowering, and again whenever growth becomes leggy or flavour coarsens, to encourage fresh young leaves — this genus regrows readily from a hard cut.
A light feed in spring, and for a pot-grown plant a repot into fresh compost does more than any fertiliser. Mint is vigorous enough without encouragement.
Division is instant: pull the root mass apart at almost any point in the growing season, or cut a length of the white running root, lay it in compost and cover. Keep it in a pot unless you want it everywhere.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchConfirm containment — if not already grown in a sunken pot or container, this is the last easy window to add a root barrier before spring growth accelerates.
- JuneCut back hard after the first flush of flowering to encourage fresh, better-flavoured leaves. how ›
- SeptemberCut back again if growth has become leggy or flavour has coarsened over summer. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchConfirm containment — if not already grown in a sunken pot or container, this is the last easy window to add a root barrier before spring growth accelerates.
- JuneCut back hard after the first flush of flowering to encourage fresh, better-flavoured leaves. how ›
- SeptemberCut back again if growth has become leggy or flavour has coarsened over summer. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryConfirm containment — if not already grown in a sunken pot or container, this is the last easy window to add a root barrier before spring growth accelerates.
- MayCut back hard after the first flush of flowering to encourage fresh, better-flavoured leaves. how ›
- SeptemberCut back again if growth has become leggy or flavour has coarsened over summer. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryConfirm containment — if not already grown in a sunken pot or container, this is the last easy window to add a root barrier before spring growth accelerates.
- MayCut back hard after the first flush of flowering to encourage fresh, better-flavoured leaves. how ›
- OctoberCut back again if growth has become leggy or flavour has coarsened over summer. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Mint appearing well outside where it was planted, sometimes metres away, choking out neighbouring plants.
What to do. Always grow in a bottomless pot sunk into the ground, or in a container above ground — this is not optional advice for this genus, unlike most herbs, since its runners spread very aggressively in open soil.
How to spot it. Orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides and distorted shoots in spring.
What to do. Cut back and dispose of (don't compost) all affected top growth; new growth is often clean.
How to spot it. White coating on leaves, especially if the compost has dried out.
What to do. Water more consistently; cut back and let fresh growth regrow.
Questions
Mint: is it hardy?
H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Strongly recommended over open-ground planting for exactly this reason — a container is the standard, not a compromise, way to grow this genus.
Mint: when do you prune it?
Cut back hard after flowering, and again whenever growth becomes leggy or flavour coarsens, to encourage fresh young leaves — this genus regrows readily from a hard cut. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in June, September.
Mint: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in July–August.
When do you feed it?
A light feed in spring, and for a pot-grown plant a repot into fresh compost does more than any fertiliser. Mint is vigorous enough without encouragement. Feeding months, UK: April.