How to Grow and Harvest Mint

• Grow mint in a location with either full sun or part shade (shade is best for warmer regions).
• In areas with cold winters, plant in spring; in warmer regions, plant in fall.
• Use Miracle-Gro Organic™ Raised Bed & Garden Soil to plant mint in in-ground gardens or raised beds.
• Prevent mint from taking over your garden bed by planting it in a container and then planting the container in-ground.
• When growing mint in outdoor containers, use Miracle-Gro Organic™ Outdoor Potting Mix.
• Water deeply whenever the top inch of soil is dry.
• A month after planting, begin feeding with Miracle-Gro Organic™ All Purpose Plant Food.
• Begin harvesting mint often once leaves reach a usable size.

Growing mint isn't difficult, as it practically grows itself. Mint covers ground quickly, sending stems sprawling both above and below soil. It's also perennial—it comes back year after year—giving it more opportunity to spread in your garden. This tendency to roam has earned this herb a reputation as a garden thug, but there are things you can do to keep mint in check.

Let us teach you how to grow mint in your outdoor garden.

Mint will grow either in full sun or part shade, though it definitely benefits from afternoon shade in the hottest regions. It also adapts readily to a variety of soils, but the ideal is moist, well-drained, and rich with organic matter:

• In-ground gardens: When growing mint in planting beds, mix 3 inches of Miracle-Gro Organic™ Raised Bed & Garden Soil into the top 6 inches of soil to add nutrients and improve drainage.
• Raised beds: Fill raised beds with Miracle-Gro Organic™ Raised Bed & Garden Soil.
• Outdoor Containers: One way to defeat mint's spreading ways is to grow it in containers filled with Miracle-Gro Organic™ Outdoor Potting Mix, which also contains compost.

The best time of year for planting mint depends on where you live. Spring is ideal in cold-winter regions, but fall is better for warmer regions. Established plants can withstand light frosts, but newly planted seedlings need protection.

You can plant mint outdoors after the last expected frost in your area. Different varieties of the mint family cross-pollinate easily, so the surest way to get the type of mint you want is to start with young plants, like the ones you get from Bonnie Plants.

Like we mentioned, mint has a reputation of spreading quickly. One method to control mint's spread is to grow mint in containers by itself so it can't take over the garden. Mint needs a container 12 inches or larger in diameter, and be sure to choose a container with drainage holes.

When planting mint in an in-ground garden or raised bed, space mint plants 18 to 24 inches apart. Mint can quickly take over a planting bed, so here are a few ideas to keep mint under control:

• Surround mint plants with edging that extends 18 to 24 inches deep into soil.
• Plant mint in a pot that you can sink into the soil, allowing 3 inches of the rim to sit above the soil line. Be sure to line the pot with a couple of layers of landscaping or shade cloth to keep the roots from escaping through the drainage holes.

If you prefer to start from seeds indoors, use Miracle-Gro Organic™ Indoor Potting Mix, which is lightweight enough to support the delicate roots of seedlings. Start seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last expected frost date in your area (you won't be able to plant until 2 weeks after the last frost).

1. Fill a small container or seed tray with Miracle-Gro Organic™ Indoor Potting Mix.
2. You can place seeds on top of the soil and cover loosely. Mint seeds don't need to be sown very deep.
3. Water gently and cover with a plastic bag or dome until seeds begin to germinate (plants begin to sprout from the soil).
4. Seedlings will need to be thinned after the first set of leaves appear. Keep the strongest seedlings, and snip the rest.
5. Transplant seedlings outdoors a couple of weeks after the last frost in your area.

Now that your mint is getting settled in, make sure you're following these steps to help it thrive:

• Water deeply and infrequently. Mint benefits from deep, infrequent watering. Check the soil weekly, and water when the top inch of soil is dry. When serious summer heat arrives, you'll need to check more often. It's worth noting that mint that has grown to fill a pot completely needs to be watered much more often than a container that's not chockfull of mint roots.
• Add mulch. When growing mint, mulch around (not on top of) plants with 3 inches of Miracle-Gro Organic™ All Natural Mulch, or use straw, shredded leaves, or pine straw. Mulch helps keep weed seeds from growing, soil moist, and mint leaves clean. Avoid using any type of plastic or weed cloth beneath the mulch, because mint will root into and through it.
• Feed mint. Since a vital key to growing lots of tasty leaves is a combination of top quality soil and plant food, start feeding mint with Miracle-Gro Organic™ All Purpose Plant Food, a month after planting. Follow label instructions to know how much and how often to apply. The best time to feed mint is after a harvest or trimming.
• Prune mint. If you're harvesting frequently, mint shouldn't need too much pruning. Completely remove or cut plants back to the ground before winter.
• Divide mint as needed. Divide mint plants that have died in the middle or filled pots completely. Dig up and divide the clumps into smaller pieces, toss any dead parts, then replant in new pots.

Mint plants grow best when harvested frequently. Pick individual leaves or sprigs at any point during the growing season. The best flavor occurs prior to flowering. If you need to harvest a large amount of mint, cut plants back almost to the ground, leaving a few pairs of leaves. The plant will regrow.

In the kitchen, mint is prized for flavoring beverages like water, lemonade, and tea. Mint leaves pair well with poultry, fish, and lamb, as well as peas, carrots, and new potatoes. Preserve mint by drying or freezing individual leaves.

In the garden, take advantage of mint's aggressive growth by using it as a ground cover or growing it along the edges of a path.

Ready to start growing mint? Use this guide and get out to the garden to start growing!