A reader very good question was posed to me lately: “What do I do with all this mint?!” Come learn how to grow, how to contain, and how to use mint. 
Got Mint?
Mint is probably the most easily recognized herb on the planet, at least for flavor. It is in everything from toothpaste to cookies to household cleaners.
It’s a favorite herb among gardeners, too, because it has some very fine feature:
- Mint is very winter hardy and greens back up early in the spring.
- It requires very little care beyond consistent harvesting.
- The smell of mint is both calming and invigorating.
- It’s used very commonly as a wellness herb to soothe the effects of colds and flus.
- Pollinators love mint blooms.
However, mint can also be very invasive in the garden! To put it mildly, mint spreads like a virus in a kindergarten, even going under pavement.
How to Grow Mint
For some gardeners, simply planting mint in the ground and watering it regularly is enough to establish a large mint patch. I grow so much of it that I’m using it to replace my lawn in several places!
However, other gardeners can struggle to get their mint patch started. If that’s you, try these mint growing ideas:
- Mint likes slightly alkaline, moist, well drained soil. Really the moist part is the only thing mint is picky about – it thrives in moisture, although it doesn’t appreciate soggy feet. Which means your soil will need some drainage, usually in the form of smaller rocks and lots of organic matter.
- There are a lot of different culinary/medicinal varieties to grow – pepper, spear, orange, chocolate.
- Mint makes a lovely ground cover with some varieties hugging the soil (like Corsican mint) or others (like spearmint) growing 6-8 inches tall. Although, mine will get two feet tall searching for sun behind my climbing roses.
- This herb will over winter (usually) to zone 5, especially if you throw some straw over it .
Mint Growing Tips
It will propagate itself by sending out rooting stems under the soil. You can cut these stems with a sharp shovel and dig up large patches of mint to spread around the garden.
You can also take stem cuttings from the mint plants in the spring and fall, and/or take stem cuttings to root in water in the heat of the summer. If you’re not yet sure what all that means, you can learn to grow herbs from cuttings!
If you take a cutting, just make sure you remove the leaves at the base of the stem so that no leaf goes directly into the soil or water and causes mold or rot.
Once your baby mint plants have roots, you can plant them in full sun or shade, and anything in between. Some varieties are more vulnerable to summer heat than others, so watch them carefully if they’re newly planted.
If you prefer not to grow it in the garden, you’re in luck because mint grows well in containers. (I daresay it would grow well on the dark side of the moon, as well.) In fact, many people choose to keep mint in containers so that it does run all over the garden.
To learn more about growing mint and several other herbs, especially if you’d like to grow them in pots, check out our book below:
—>>>The Potted Herb<<<—
Drying and Storing
Do you like herbal teas in the frigid middle of January when there are no herbs in sight? Me too. Here’s a fantastic combination of flavors in this Summer Mess Peppermint Tea recipe.
In order to have mint for the winter, you need to harvest it all spring, summer, and fall.
To do that:
- Cut whole stems of mint off at the base (don’t worry, it WILL grow back).
- Bundle 5-10 stems. You don’t want too many in one bundle because they might mold as they dry. This is really only a problem if you live where its humid.
- Strip the leaves at the base of the stems and then use a rubber band or string to tie the bundled stems together.
- Then, hang them upside down in a dust free-ish zone (no totally dust free zone exists in my house) and wait for them to dry.
>>Learn more about How to To Harvest and Dry Herbs<<<
Air drying will sufficient for those in dry climates; start checking for dryness after a week.
If you live in a more humid climate, you can also dry the leaves in a dehydrator. Simply follow the directions for herbs for your unit or read this article by The Herbal Academy .
Make sure whatever leaves you dry are clean and healthy. Remove any leaves that don’t pass muster and give them to your chickens or your compost.
How to Use Fresh & Dried Leaves
We have listed below four different ways to use both fresh and dried mint leaves (and even mint oil). We hope this encourages you to start experimenting with mint in many different ways.
There are a lot of recipes, methods, and tutorials for using mint in the home, the garden, and in your health regimen. Please don’t stop reading with just this post!
To get you started, as I mentioned, mint is the number 1 flavor that most people associate with toothpaste and tooth powder? If you’d like an easy way to start using mint, please try making your own tooth cleaner this week.
Here are two tutorials on using mint in tooth powder (used like toothpaste):
- Mint Tooth Powder from Wild Turmeric, which has a sea salt base. If you’ve never used a salt “toothpaste” before, this is a great recipe to begin with!
- A Better Way to Thrive has instructions for making more traditional tooth powder which includes mint, as well as other herbs.
Below are several other ways to use the mint harvest!
Use to Alleviate Stomach Upset
Mint is an herb I add to several of my tinctures simply because it tastes so refreshing. However, I also add it in because of it is wellness actions. This one herb is reported to:
- be carminative (meaning it combats gas and aids digestion)
- an anti-spasmodic
- a nervine (helpful to the nervous system)
- anti-emetic (vomiting)
- anti-microbial
It is very helpful is settling upset stomachs, especially with children because the flavor is pleasing. If you don’t have a tincture on hand, chewing the herb fresh is also beneficial.
Making a basic tea from the leaves is a quick way to calm the stomach. If you’d like something a little more indulgent than basic, try this lemony lavender mint tea recipe from Homespun Seasonal Living.
I even give it to my animals when they’ve eaten something they shouldn’t. Such as when my dopey goat is caught eating paint off the side of the barn. Sigh.
Use to Control Ants
Peppermint is the only non-toxic ant deterrent I’ve found to use in my home of four small, precocious children who still put things in their mouths.
If you have access to essential oils, the easy way to use mint to fight ants is to add 10-20 drops to a spray bottle of un-chlorinated water and spray the ants wherever the little menaces are infiltrating.
If you don’t have oil, you can make a strong mint ant spray tea:
- Cut several sprigs (enough to fill a small pan).
- Put them into the sauce pan with just enough water to cover them.
- Bring the water to a boil and then remove it from the heat so it can steep overnight.
- Strain out the herb, put the tea in a spray bottle and ants will fear you.
- The only drawback to using the tea is that it will leave a tea-color wherever you spray it. No big deal if it’s your garage floor, bigger deal if it’s your antique, Persian rug.
You can also cut sprigs of mint to simply lay out in window sills or at the base of cabinets or wherever you find ant trails originating. You can use the it dried to craft sachets to leave around as well. Learn to make a re-usable herb sachet.
Use When Cooking
Preparing food with mint is a real delight. This herb is tasty in salads, chutneys, salsas, smoothies and dressings. Oh, home made yogurt with fresh mint sprigs served over hot tabbouleh is also a treat! Yum, yum!
Mint is a good source for Manganese, Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as a good deal of Iron so eat it often. Consuming it raw will help you retain more nutrients and essential oils, however it’s very easy to cook with it. Here are a few recipes:
- A Traditional Mint Sauce from Joybilee Farm for any meat dish but especially lamb.
- The Stingy Vegan has a delightful mint truffle recipe that is super simple with 4 ingredients.
- Mint ice cream is a must during the summer and you can add as much fresh as you’d like – don’t forget the dark chocolate shavings! To learn to make great homemade ice cream, you may need these tips.
- One of my favorite fresh leaves is this recipe from my friend Kathie at Homespun Seasonal Living – Fresh Mint Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting. You will NOT be sorry you made this!
Cool Down with Mint
One of the best parts about mint being abundant in the summer is that it’s cooling! If you’re slightly overheated:
- Eat some.
- Rub fresh leaves on your wrists and temples and, if you’re with a friend, down your spine.
- Make mint ice cubes before you go out into the garden.
- Tear some leaves into tiny pieces and put it in your water and drink it down.
- If you maintain a water kefir, here’s a recipe for mint lemonade water kefir.
Remember, if you’re truly overheated, you may need to seek medical help.
Gifts from the Garden
A simple gift to give is a cutting or baby plant. Your gardener friends will love growing their own, especially if you gift a fancy variety like chocolate or orange. Be sure to warn your friend to grow their mint in pots if they don’t want it to spread in the garden.
Who wouldn’t like to get Homemade Chocolate Mint Extract as their neighbor gift this Christmas?! It’s never too early to start preparing for the holidays! In fact, in the case of extracts, you really need to start them in the summer time.
To get ahead on your homemade holiday gifts, please visit this article complete with a free download, checklists and suggestions!
From Nerdy Farm Wife, here’s how to make soap with your garden mint. You may notice that Jan’s writing features a lot in this article. That’s because, if you want to learn how to use any herb in health care products like soaps, balms and scrubs, Nerdy Farm Wife is where you go! She has some great courses that you can check out below – including free materials!
In short, this herb is easy to grow and easy to use in many delightful ways. In fact, it’s hard to do much wrong with it since just the smell will set you dreaming of long, cool naps in the shade.
Do you have a favorite way to use this herb? Feel free to let us know!
Herbal Education
If you’d like to learn more about herb plants as medicine, be sure to visit The Herbal Academy. They have beginning classes and even courses for herbal practitioners! You’re bound to find something you can use. To get a sample lesson: Preview Lesson from the Introductory Herbal Course. To learn more, just click the ad below:
This is a great post! My daughter planted a tiny mint plant in a rock garden in our last home — and it literally took over the entire area! I wish I had seen this info back then!
We can grow mint here and it is perennial, way up here in Canada it is a zone 4 where I am. 🙂 (Just over the border in Alberta)
I love mint and grow copious amounts of it when I have a garden.
I am so thankful you let us visit you when we were there so I could be inspired on what I could do with less than the land that we want. Right now we are activly searching for something so we can be as awesome as you. 🙂
You are so funny!! I was glad you could come and visit and tell us about you’re plans; I love talking to other people about what they’re doing. I was fighting a cold that day so I hope I wasn’t too spacey – you know how it is when you’re Mom and the work doesn’t stop but your brain won’t work! Keep us posted on what you find and good, good luck…although it’s really Providence, of course. By they way, thank you for turning me onto the Macheesmo guy – he’s absolutely cool!
I pretty much love almost everything he posts. 🙂 I am so glad you enjoy it as well! Macheesmo is awesome.
You were perfect. We enjoyed our chat. It gave my hubby and I so many things to think about and to talk about.
When we came home we found out that our plans had to change due to funding and issues so the visit to you came at a perfect time. I was so thankful that we had seen a place that made it work. It was perfect timing. The Lord really does know and love us!
So glad! Funding and “issues” are a huge thing in our lives, too, so we sympathize. Remember how President Hinckley always said, “Things have a way of working out”? We never would have chosen an acre in the city of a hugely busy and expensive county but for us, for now, it’s just what we need. You’ll be in our prayers!
You didn’t mention (perhaps you didn’t know about it?) adding mint to Tabouli. Heavenly!
I grow my mint in large containers, about half muck-bucket size. Incidentally, containers are also a good option for horseradish and comfrey, two other highly invasive plants. I’m in Zone 4, and they over-winter just fine.
Mint lover here – wanting to share another great way to use mint. Years back, we had a dog run with concrete barrier under ground to deter digging along the fence line. It was here I brilliantly chose to plant a bagful of mint roots given to me by a co-worker. The mint had full sun, easily grew to 2′ or more and was kept in check by large dogs trotting the fence line. I had a huge mint crop annually, effortlessly. (Alas, no longer!) Here’s my tip for those with large amounts of mint: In the hottest months of summer, those days when you just can’t cool down, take an armload of mint indoors, put it in the bathtub (or large basin), fill halfway with water and crush the mint with your hands to release the oils. Let this sit for several hours, or days even. Soak in it. Splash it on your arms, face, neck and chest. Wet a washcloth and put it on your neck as you go about your chores. The oils released will cool your body in a way never experienced! For hours! I always felt like that old York peppermint pattie commercial, you know the people who experienced the ultimate cool? 😉
Awesome ideas – thank you! Now I want to go take mint bath…
Mary – I had to tell you this…the other day a whole crew of midwives was here to turn my stubborn baby so she’d stop living transverse. For various reasons, mostly obvious ones, it was a very painful procedure for me and I got through it by imagining I was splashing in the mint bath you told us about. I was so glad I’d read your comment before that episode! I’ll try it again should I ever go into labor!
Great post! I planted some mint this year. I have it in a raised bed with some other herbs. I was surprised by all the different mints that were available this year – chocolate mint!
Thanks so much for linking up to The Creative HomeAcre Blog Hop. We hope to see you again this Sunday!
I just put in chocolate mint, too! I love the citrus mints and pineapple mint, although is grows more like bee balm than ground mint.
Really great ideas and tips! Last year our mint went crazy, but this year it has had a hard time coming back and is still very small. Our lemon balm, however, is enormous!
Visiting from the From the Farm blog hop 🙂
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who loves mint! I make my own soda from it, love mojitos, use it around our coop and barn to repel rodents and also use it to garnish desserts and perk up a leg of lamb. Great post!
Thanks for linking up to the weekly From the Farm Barn Hop.
Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com
Great post! I’ve been pondering mint, too, recently. Have you ever tried mint in your kombucha? I wonder if that would be good.
I haven’t tried kombucha yet but we did put mint in our water kefir and it was tasty!
I add a bunch of mint to my tea before steeping in hot water when making iced tea. I also add it to tabbouleh, pho broth, thai lettuce tacos. I muddle mint with a little sugar and lime juice before adding simple syrup for mojitos (one with rum, one without), along the same lines I add it to my simple syrup when making limeade.
Thanks for telling me about the culture required for mint. I have always had difficulty keeping my mint alive – it’s because it’s location is well-drained but arid.
Mint in limeade – yummy!
Oh my goodness, mint belongs in a 4×4 bed far far away from anything else you love! It will take over your whole garden if you aren’t careful! But, I LOVE mint. My needs and sunny space are small, so I grow my mint in pots. Loved this post!
My mint patch at our old house was out of control! When we moved in the fall I transplanted a bunch at our new house. I even made a garden bed just for my mint plants. Alas it is SO dry here this spring and it is struggling to grow. Can you believe that?! I’m shocked. I have to figure out a watering system to get it going since I’m craving some homemade mint tea 🙂
That is hard to imagine, Annie, but I’ve had that kind of thing happen before with basil when we moved to North Carolina. Of course, I’m from northern California where the growing season is eleven months long and gardening is “easy”! If I lived nearer, I’d bring you a thousand more starts!
Great article, thanks for the tips! I put my mint in a pot this year and it is doing well!
Great list of mint ideas! Thank you for sharing at the Art of Home-Making Mondays! I know others will appreciate this post too!
Thanks for linking up to the Art of Home-Making Mondays! Your post has been featured this week here ~ https://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2014/06/prepare-breakfast-tea-tray-link-up-love.html Have a wonderful week~ JES
Thank you so much, Jess – what an honor!
Mint and I are good buddies. We love mint for keeping the pests away, tummy troubles, sun burns, pain relieving and so much more! Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
I grew up in Pennsylvania too and had forgotten about Meadow Tea! Thank you for including that recipe and I am going to go cut some mint to make a batch today!
Me too! I need a boost – sleepy, sleepy today…
We live in hardiness zone six and do nothing and our mint comes back with a vengeance every year. For drying, we just put it in Brown grocery bags, roll them shut, an shake once our twice daily. Easier than bundling. Finally, you forgot to mention the BEST use for mint, ICE CREAM!! 🙂
Of course – ice cream! Thank you for sharing those tips!
I love my mint patch, but you are so right- it does take over. Thanks for all the great ideas of what to do with all my mint. I need the one for the ants- thanks. We use our mint for tea, lemonade, and I just cut some and put it in a small vase in my kitchen. Smells so good.
I just did that, too, Judee! Actually it was my daughter and its helped with the flies in the kitchen big time. Plus, its so pretty!
Mint and Jalapeno jelly is good too. Especially on lamb chops,ham. Also make Mint Pesto for a change. Make Mint ice cubes for summer time drinks,or left over sauces and mint to ice trays the when you need just a little extra taste you got sauced mint cubes store in freezer bags or glass jars in refrigerator freezer.
What lovely ideas – thank you!
Super helpful! I always feel I am wasting so much of this bountiful herb. I appreciate that I now have several additional ideas. Great article!
So glad it was helpful, Kristen! I salivate every time I edit this article – it makes me want to make all things mint!
I grow my mint in a 5 gallon bucket using only water and nutrients. You put a hole in the lid of the bucket. I buy my plants for now and so I take a 3″ net pot and cut the bottom out, take a 1″ slice of pool noodle with a small wedge cut out so it fits the top of the net pot and I hang the plant in that with the noodle slice holding my plant firmly with the roots hanging out the hole in the bottom. You don’t want the water to be so high that all the roots are in water, they will drown. By having the upper part of the roots in air, they won’t. The method is called Kratky. Look it up. If your weather is particularly hot and windy you can add more water but leave at least three inches of root out of the water. I don’t add nutrients every time. Last year my mint grew so abundantly I was able to harvest five times. Contained, profusely productive, no weeds, portable, I put it on some bricks so it was even higher and I didn’t have to bend to harvest. Lovely!
Thank you for sharing that! Kratky has gotten really popular and I’m so glad. Five harvests of mint is certainly a great ROI!