Mint

Mentha

This fast grower lasts for years and goes into tea, drinks and cooking. Its roots run fast underground and take over a bed. So grow it in a pot, or sink a pot with no bottom into the ground with the rim above the soil. It dies down in winter and comes back in spring.

Looking after it

Water: Mint needs a lot of water. Keep the soil evenly moist, because it wilts fast in a dry pot. Check pots often in summer and move them into light shade when it's hot. Feeding: Mint needs average feeding, mostly in pots. In the ground it needs little. Give a potted plant liquid fertiliser in spring, then every 4 to 6 weeks while it grows.

Picking and keeping

From late spring to autumn, pick the young shoot tips often. Regular picking keeps the plant compact and full of fresh growth. Cut back stems that are flowering to get new leaves. Fresh sprigs keep a few days in a glass of water or in the fridge. Freezing keeps the flavour better than drying. Freeze the leaves in ice cubes.

What can go wrong

Mint rust. Orange powdery spots appear under the leaves and in spring the shoots come up twisted and swollen. Cut affected stems to the ground and put them in the bin. If it comes back every year, start again with healthy plants in a new spot.
Spreading everywhere. Creeping shoots pop up all over the bed. Keep mint in a pot with the rim above the soil, so the runners can't climb over it. Every few years, split the plant into pieces and repot it.
Mint beetle. In summer, small shiny blue-green beetles and their grubs eat holes in the leaves. Pick them off. The plant usually grows back.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Mint care: RHS. pH: NSW Department of Primary Industries. Feeding in pots: University of Arizona extension.