How to grow mint
Family Lamiaceae. Hardy to USDA hardiness zone 3a+ (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Part shade to full sun. Ready in 60-90 days (perennial).
Sun
Part shade to full sun
Spacing
18-24 in (contain!)
Days to harvest
60-90 days (perennial)
Hardiness
Zone 3a+
What growers actually recorded
Loading zone 7b results…
When to plant mint
- Transplant out: ~-2 weeks after last frost.
Companion plants for mint
Plant with: Cabbage, Tomato.
Avoid near: Everything perennial nearby: it takes over.
Common pests & problems
None serious; deters cabbage moths and ants.
Feeding & fertilizer
N-P-K ratio: Low fertilizer: herbs go bland when overfed
Organic options: Compost once at planting · Weak fish emulsion once mid-season if pale · Nothing after that
When to feed: Feed lightly if at all. Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano) thrive in lean soil.
Watch for: Fast, floppy, weak-flavored growth = too rich.
N = nitrogen (leaves), P = phosphorus (roots and flowers), K = potassium (fruit and disease resistance). How to read a fertilizer label →
Grower's tip
Grow only in a pot or sunk container. In-ground mint will swallow a bed in one season.
When to plant mint in your zone
Free month-by-month sowing and transplanting lists, built from frost dates for your USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) hardiness zone.
Soil & water for mint
Soil & pH
6.0-7.5
Well-drained, on the lean side. Mediterranean herbs rot in rich wet soil.
Compost once at planting, then leave the bed alone. Add grit or perlite for rosemary and thyme.
Watering
0.5-1 in / week: under-water rather than over-water
Deep, infrequent watering builds essential oils and flavor.
Pinch a leaf and smell it. If the aroma is weak and the growth is soft and floppy, the plant is over-watered or over-fed. If the leaf is stiff and fragrant, you're doing it right.
Knowing when to harvest
- Cut stems at 6-8 in above a leaf node.
- Best flavor just before flowers open.
- Cut hard: the plant explodes back.
Storing & keeping
Stems in water on counter, or dried in a paper bag for tea (holds flavor).
What to expect
Per plant: 0.5-1 lb per cut, 4-6 cuts per season
Troubleshooting mint
Rust (orange leaf pustules)
Likely cause: Wet foliage in humidity
What to do: Cut plants back to ground; new growth is often clean.
Runners escape the planting and appear across the bed
Likely cause: Mint spreads by stolons and will colonise open ground
What to do: Grow it in a sunken pot with a solid bottom, or a bed edged 12 in deep. Cut back and pull stray runners while they are still shallow.
Orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides, leaves drop
Likely cause: Mint rust, a systemic fungus that overwinters in the crown
What to do: Cut the planting to the ground and remove the debris. Severely infected crowns are best replaced with clean nursery stock rather than treated.
Varieties worth the space
Not every name in a seed catalog. These are the ones growers order again, with what each one is actually good at and what it asks of you.
Spearmint
Open-pollinated
The tea and mojito mint. Container only unless you want a mint lawn.
Peppermint
Open-pollinated
Higher menthol, better dried for tea. Just as invasive.
Chocolate mint
Novelty; mild cocoa aroma.
Growing mint in containers
MUST be contained. 12 in deep pot only; in-ground mint takes over.
Nutrition
Volatile oils that hold up after drying: rosmarinic acid in rosemary, thymol in thyme, menthol in mint, eugenol in basil and oregano. That's why a pinch of dried herb often tastes stronger than a handful of fresh. The oils are concentrated once the water leaves.
Common questions
Can I ever plant mint in the ground?
Only if you sink a 12-in-deep bottomless bucket. Otherwise, runners spread 3 ft/year and outcompete everything.
Where these numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023 revision). Zone assignment and the 30-year normals behind every cold-hardiness figure.
- NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Frost dates, growing-season length, and the probability bands on both.
- Cornell, UMN, and UC Davis Cooperative Extension crop guides. Spacing, days to maturity, soil pH targets, and per-plant yield ranges.
- USDA FSIS / FDA Produce Safety guidance. Wash, cure, and cold-storage handling numbers.
Ranges are regional guidance, not a promise for your yard. Your own logged results always override the published range.