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If you are anything like me, you love mint. So many foods and drinks can be transformed by adding just a bit of this yummy herb. And growing your own mint is an easy way to ensure that you have plenty of it when you want it. In this post, we go over ways to grow mint in a pot.
Growing mint in a container is easy. It is one of the easiest herbs to grow, you can even grow it from scraps you have leftover. It doesn’t need too much attention to detail to get it to thrive.
Why You Should Grow Mint In a Pot
One advantage to growing mint in a pot is that you can grow it year-round, so mint lovers can always have mint. I love mojitos, and every time I go out to eat they can’t make them because they never have mint. So my main motivation behind growing mint year-round is so I can have that mojito anytime I please.
The other reason to grow mint in a container garden, whether indoors or outdoors is that it grows like a weed. Mint can be very invasive, so growing mint in a container will help keep it from spreading everywhere.
Even when you grow mint in a pot, make sure that it doesn’t drape over the sides and get to the ground. If this happens and you are growing the mint outside, it can start invading your garden or lawn.
I usually have various pots of different kinds of mint sitting throughout my backyard garden and in my container garden. It is also one of the herbs that I grow in my kitchen year-round.
Burpee Mint Seed Grow Kit
How to Start a Mint Plant
You can start growing mint from seed or from a cutting in water.
Usually, a cutting in water is the easiest and fastest way to start growing mint. Growing mint from seed can be a bit more time-consuming.
How to Grow Mint In a Pot Outdoors
Will Mint Grow in the Shade?
Mint isn’t too picky about sunlight.
It can grow in full sunlight or partial shade.
What Kind of Soil Does Mint Need?
Like any vegetable or herb in a container, a high-quality organic potting soil is best to use.
I use Espoma Organic Potting Soil for my mint in containers.
What Kind of Pot Does a Mint Plant Need?
You will want a pot that is at least 8 inches in diameter. Make sure that the pot you choose for your mint does have good drainage. If it doesn’t have drainage holes you will need to make some.
Do not use a shallow pot, roots of mint plants will try to go out of the drainage holes if the pot it is growing in is too shallow.
But if you would like a bigger mint plant then feel free to go with a bigger pot.
How Much Should You Water Mint?
It is best to keep the soil moist, however, mint plants will tolerate some dry times.
You also want to try to water your mint at the base of the plant, not from overhead. Overhead watering can lead to fungal growth, so it is best to try to keep the mint leaves themselves dry.
How Much Fertilizer Does Mint Need?
You don’t want to over fertilize mint. Too much fertilizer can make your mint loose some of it’s flavor.
Fertilizing mint is best done using a liquid all purpose fertilizer every four to six weeks.
I like to use the same fertilizer that I use in my garden for vegetables since I can mix it with water, Jack’s Classic All Purpose Plant Food.
How to Grow Mint In a Pot Indoors
Growing mint indoors is just like growing it outside, except you don’t have to worry about it draping over and taking over everything.
You also get the benefit of having an indoor plant that will help repel bugs.
Make sure to find a spot that gets some sunlight inside. Keep the soil moist, use fertilizer every four to six weeks, and enjoy your mint year-round.
Moving Your Mint Outdoors
If you want to move mint that you had inside during the cold months outdoors once the seasons tun warm, then you want to make sure to harden off your plants.
Just putting them outside will kill the plant for sure.
When I’m hardening off my mint plants, I like to start with an hour of sun one day, then bring it back inside. Then each day keep increasing the time. In about 1 week they are ready to start staying outside all day.
If you aren’t home to be able to move the plant around as needed, then there is one other option I use. I find a spot that only gets two to three hours of sunlight per day. I wait until there are at least 3 days in a row of cloudiness and the temperature at night won’t drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This way they don’t get burned by the sun and they don’t get too cold. Usually, it’s easier to find this kind of weather in late Spring when there are more rainy days.
Related Articles for Growing Mint in a Container:
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- How To Grow Lavender In A Pot
- How to Grow Zucchini in a Pot
