| Garden Mint In Your Herb Garden | | | | keep it watered. Of course you can also use mulch |
| The most popular kinds of mints for most gardens | | | | or perlite to reduce your watering. |
| are peppermints and spearmint. However these two | | | | Because mint has a habit of growing well in shade, it |
| well known varieties are not the only ones. There are | | | | makes a great indoor/ windowsill herb. Great news |
| many others and your garden center can advise you | | | | for gardeners whose houses do not receive a lot of |
| on the best one to fit your particular needs. | | | | sunlight! Another technique is to grow mint in front of |
| Some people consider mint to be one of the easiest | | | | larger growing herbs such as rosemary. This should |
| herbs to grow; others the most difficult. It has a | | | | give your mint a good mixture of light and dark |
| number of great benefits in that it grows quickly, can | | | | conditions necessary for growth. |
| survive even in the poorest soils and returns year | | | | Harvesting Your Mint |
| after year without much effort from the gardener. | | | | As with most herbs, you will want to harvest mint as |
| Conversely it has a habit of trying to take over as | | | | early as possible on a dry day. Most gardeners |
| much of your garden as possible which can be a | | | | harvest in late summer. Always remember that too |
| huge problem if you do not know how to deal with it. | | | | much rain or sunlight will lose some of the oils that |
| Ironically the biggest asset is also its most annoying | | | | make mint so tasty, so be careful harvesting when |
| feature, it grows really quickly. For beginner | | | | the weather is bad. Also to get the best flavor, |
| gardeners (Assuming you do not want a garden full | | | | harvest before the flowers have had a chance to |
| of mint!) it is best to grow mint entirely in a pot. This | | | | grow, as when it flowers the plant will devote some |
| makes sure that it can not spread as much as it | | | | of its energy to growing the flowers making the |
| would like to! Also keep the amount of fertilizer to | | | | edible parts less flavorful. |
| the bare minimum or expect your herb to grow out | | | | After harvesting most gardeners then use the mint |
| of control. | | | | for culinary purposes. It is a great tisane herb (Tisane |
| If you can control it, this growth is the best thing | | | | means it will make 'tea') and mint tea has many |
| imaginable. If you want to transfer your herb to | | | | health benefits. To make mint for tisane purposes, |
| another area, or even another garden, simply cut a | | | | simply hang it upside down in a warm (70-80 |
| large piece off one plant and replant it in the new | | | | degrees) place until it becomes dry and flaky, then |
| area. Soon the plant will have regrown itself. It is | | | | crumble it for making tea. |
| definitely worth asking someone to do this for you | | | | Another great idea is to preserve it in vinegar. This |
| when you start out, as growing mint from a seed is | | | | gives both the herb and the vinegar a great taste. |
| troublesome. | | | | To make a simple, but tasty sauce for lamb simply |
| Growing Your Mint | | | | add sugar or honey to this vinegar/mint mixture and |
| On top of its massive growth, mint also has another | | | | enjoy! |
| bonus: it can be grown almost anywhere. Even if you | | | | If you want to use the mint again at a later time, it |
| soil is poor quality, mint is one herb that will likely not | | | | freezes well. Generally this does cost a little bit of |
| just grow there, but thrive. The only thing that mint | | | | flavor, but not too much. Frozen mint can be a great |
| really needs is water. As long as it remains moist, it is | | | | addition to drinks and ice cream on hot days. for |
| fine. Because of this most gardeners make a weekly | | | | colder days it can be added to hot chocolate. The |
| schedule to water the herb. Then if the herb needs a | | | | best part is that mint is linked with curing colds and |
| little extra water (There is no rainfall for example), by | | | | headaches, so you can get rid of winter colds too! |
| spraying a light misting of water on the plant you can | | | | |