Vegetable Guides

How to grow mint for free, forever!‎

Mint saplings

How to grow mint step-by-step

Would you like to grow mint for free? ‎And to produce a supply that lasts ‎forever? In this article, I’ll show you how ‎you can grow mint in your home or ‎garden without wasting time or money! ‎So let’s get right to it! ‎

Why should I grow mint?‎

First off, there are some two dozen ‎varieties of mint in the world! Though ‎the one we are talking about is ‎‎‘spearmint’ (Mentha spicata), which has ‎a sweet, delicate flavour. ‎

Mint is a refreshingly useful garden herb. ‎You can use it in tea, in smoothies and in ‎salads. We use mint generously in our ‎cooked dishes, where we first dry it and ‎then sprinkle on our cooked yoghurt ‎dishes, (known as ‘laban matbuukh’ in ‎Arabic). ‎

Mint also has several health benefits, ‎assisting in digestion and supplementing ‎your diet with powerful antioxidants. ‎Interestingly, mint is also used by those ‎with excessive hair growth as it counters ‎the hormone responsible for body hair. ‎Fascinating! ‎

The 7 easy steps to grow mint

1. Sow in season

If growing indoors, then that’s great ‎news! You can sow mint at anytime of ‎the year! ‎

If growing outdoors, sow anytime except ‎when the weather outdoors is too hot or ‎too cold. ‎

If you live in the Levant, you can plant ‎mint from March-May, and again from ‎September-November.

If you live in the Gulf, plant mint in the ‎months October to November and again ‎from February-April. I also recommend ‎protecting the mint with shade cloth or ‎some tree shade during the hot Gulf ‎summer months from June to ‎September. ‎

Depending on where you live, the ‎temperature will either be more ‎temperate (like the Levant) or more ‎arid/desert (like the Gulf and the interior ‎of North Africa) and so follow the ‎guidelines above. ‎

2. Soil: Grow mint in its own ‎container

Mint roots love to spread.

Therefore, ‎you should give it the room to spread its ‎legs by growing it in its own container ‎‎(10 inches or more), raised bed, or fabric ‎pot (like a ‘Smart Pot’). ‎

If growing in a container, use good ‎quality, organic potting soil made for ‎growing herbs and vegetables. As mint ‎prefers light, airy soil, you can amend ‎with 10-20% peat moss or coco coir. ‎
If growing in the ground, amend your ‎soil with compost about one inch thick ‎‎(20%) and peat moss/coco coir (10%). ‎

3. Sun

Mint needs full sun (8 hours), but will do ‎well with 6 hours of sun. Therefore, if ‎growing indoors, place your container ‎near a window that receives full sun. ‎

‎4.‎ Seed (or Shoots‎)

Mint can be ‎grown from seeds or from cuttings. ‎For seeds, order from a reputable ‎source. For a list of reputable ‎sources in Kuwait, the UAE, and in ‎the US, check out our post on the ‎six secrets to a thriving home ‎garden, and also see Local Roots ‎UAE.

Alternatively, borrow an 8-10cm long ‎cutting (a single mint shoot) from a ‎friend, or buy a healthy plant from your ‎local garden store and propagate / grow ‎from cutting as detailed below. ‎

5. Sow

Depth: 0.5cm (very shallow)
Final Spacing between one plant and the ‎next: 60cm or a single plant in a 25cm ‎‎(diameter) ‎

Want to have a year's supply of ‎spearmint for free?!

Then root it by ‎growing from a mint cutting first!

Follow ‎these steps.

Mint cuttings in water by window sill
Grow mint (for free) using cuttings from existing plant

How to grow mint in water from a ‎cutting

‎1. Cut a shoot 8-10cm tall from a healthy ‎mint plant‎
‎2. Remove the lower leaves‎
‎3. Place in filtered water in a bright spot ‎‎(but not direct light) for a week or so ‎until 1-2cm long roots ‎emerge
‎4. Transfer to a container with potting ‎soil and pinch 1cm off the main stem to ‎encourage bushy ‎growth
‎5. Place near a warm, sunny window ‎

6. Service with care

‎ Mint can be affected by aphids; so ‎regularly monitor your plants. If your ‎your mint is affected by aphids, you can ‎make a simple soap-based insecticidal ‎spray. An even more awesome hack is to ‎use sticky tape!

The simple aphid hack!
By simply tapping your ‎mint on the top and bottom of affected ‎leaves with sticky tape you can eliminate ‎aphids from mint, who will stick to the ‎tape. ‎

For a continuous supply of fresh, ‎fragrant mint, side-dress by sprinkling ‎compost lightly around the plant every ‎couple of months. ‎

7. Savour!‎

Mint grows prolifically and is an ‎exceptional cut-and-come-again plant, ‎because it will just keep coming! You can ‎harvest mint by cutting shoots about ‎‎5cm from the soil. Do this when the mint ‎is around 30cm from the ground.

Mint will be ready to harvest in about 60 ‎days when sowing from seed. ‎

Here are some good things to know ‎when growing mint.

Some expert tips for growing mint

‎1.‎ Mint spreads liberally and can ‎compete with nearby vegetables, ‎so either plant in a container or ‎trim often to about 5 centimeters ‎from ground-level to keep this ‎enthusiastic herb under control. ‎

‎2.‎ Mint makes a good companion ‎plant for cabbage and tomatoes ‎and is generally beneficial in the ‎garden as it repels pests. ‎

After your first mint harvest, it’s time to ‎chill!‎

Cool Mint Cucumber Drink Recipe

Mint-Drink-summer-refreshing-drink-with-cucumber-mint

Once you’ve harvested your first sprigs ‎of mint, reward yourself with a cool, ‎refreshing cucumber mint drink! ‎
Use a juicer or blender to prepare:‎
🌟 ‎10 large cucumbers (juiced whole)‎
🌟 ‎1 cup mint leaves ‎
🌟 ‎1 whole lemon (peeled)‎
🌟 Ice
😋 Add cane sugar or honey for sweetness

Enjoy growing!‎

Comments (4)

  1. How to grow parsley in the heat of the summer - SoWeGrow
    June 18, 2020 Reply

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    September 8, 2020 Reply

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  3. Gardening Resolutions: 7 No-Brainer Reasons to Grow a Garden in 2021 - SoWeGrow
    April 8, 2021 Reply

    […] garden in the summer heat, managing pests organically, and having a garden growing parsley, growing mint and having molokhia in the summer […]

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    November 11, 2021 Reply

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