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Growing mint |
KuKuAhu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 23, 2002
Posts: 567
From: Kahiki, Ohio
|  Posted: 2004-01-02 7:05 pm Permalink
I have been told that mint is easy to grow at home. It has been mentioned that it is in fact so easy to grow that it will go "bamboo" on ya and take over the yard.
Given that in my area it seems to do rather well, I have decided to give it a shot in spite of it's invasive nature.
I'll likely start it indoors and move it to a large container outside once it's established. I've done some research on the web, but wondered...
...does anyone here "grow their own"?
Mint that is.
I'd like to hear any tips if ya got 'em.
pele
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Talkie-Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 05, 2002
Posts: 193
From: Hendersonville. N.C
| Posted: 2004-01-02 8:19 pm Permalink
That depends on the species and variety of mint grown. Some mint like common mint, lemon mint,peppermint and spearmint grow rather fast. mints like pineapple mint cinnaomon scented mint are very slow growers. I have had mixed reactions to choclate mint. Personally I like pineapple mint because of it's varigated leaves subtle pineapple flavor and slow growth . Also I noticed that the slower growing mints are not as invasive. There is a Mint called Corsican mint which I like and think it would be a great groundcover in a container and would look great in a container with a fairly large tiki the small dark leaves and musky-minty scent would be a good contrast to a large wooden style tiki
but hey that's my 2 cents!
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Sam Gambino
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 02, 2003
Posts: 2197
From: www.samgambino.com
| Posted: 2004-01-02 10:20 pm Permalink
Hey pele,
Plant it in a sunny spot and use good topsoil around it. Also water it everyday to get it going. Once it gets going, it does go wild. By summer's end, it will be full and green. I use it in iced tea or homemade spaghetti sauce. It's also good to use in a marinade (consisting of olive oil, garlic, mint, salt and pepper) for steaks or chicken when grilling. It will come up every spring even after a long, icy winter. If you have your lawn sprayed for weeds, make sure the mint doesn't get sprayed, though.
www.samgambino.com
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tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
| Posted: 2004-01-03 06:22 am Permalink
I had it growing like crazy outdoors, but no luck with it indoors (pineapple mint) once we moved to a garden-less home.
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captnkirk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 06, 2002
Posts: 319
From: Hockessin, Delaware
| Posted: 2004-01-03 8:21 pm Permalink
Most people who grow mint have it run away on them. Plant the whole pot containing the mint into the ground, but even this is not foolproof.
Don the Beachcomber was having trouble getting mint for garnishing his drinks so he smuggled a few mint seeds to Hawaii in the brim of his hat. In about a year his gardener was suppling mint to all his restaraunts.
[ This Message was edited by: captnkirk on 2004-01-03 20:23 ]
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DawnTiki
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 01, 2002
Posts: 1673
From: next stop Hulaville!
| Posted: 2004-01-03 8:52 pm Permalink
Pele, what zone are you in? Although I haven't heard of a zone mint won't flourish in. I do know mint likes moisture. Eventhough I live in the Desert and I have several mint plants outside, yes, some growing where I don't want it. I have tried to kill the unwanted plants by ignoring them, stopped watering the area, mowing over it. The mint has won the battle so far. Once it's in a spot it's there for good.
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cynfulcynner
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 1800
From: Ocean Beach, San Francisco
| Posted: 2004-01-03 11:09 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2004-01-03 20:21, captnkirk wrote:
Plant the whole pot containing the mint into the ground, but even this is not foolproof.
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If you grow the mint in its own container rather than in the ground, it shouldn't spread. I use that method to grow catnip indoors.
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Kreaky Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 19, 2003
Posts: 182
From: Goleta the good land
| Posted: 2004-01-04 12:16 am Permalink
I grow the common mint for use in, and as a garnesh for drinks like the mai tai. Having Mint around at a moments notice is very cool. Booze keeps well, but if you have to buy the herbs, you will certainly be caught short. My mint tries to get out of control, but I have a party and make mojitos, mai tais, etc. and trim it way back. This may be an expensive form of "weed" control, but you make friends by doing it.
Cheers,
KT
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Kava King
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 20, 2002
Posts: 217
From: Kensington-on-Avondale
| Posted: 2004-01-05 11:53 am Permalink
A galvanized washtub makes an excellent prison for the demon weed.
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I dream of tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 12, 2004
Posts: 494
From: Pittsburgh, PA
| Posted: 2008-03-31 9:45 pm Permalink
This thread deserves a bump.
Having just been to the store to buy a mint plant, I noticed what Home Depot called a "mint" mint (didn't catch the species) has a very different look than peppermint (mentha peperita). Neither of which seems to be what stores and bars are selling down here in FL (I really want to guess that retail variety is spearmint, aka. Mentha spicata, but don't have enough facts). Anyone favor a specific type of grown mint for drinks over the other types?
I bough both with the hopes of a taste test later on in the growing process. Got to find a spearmint now.
Just for fun (but way off topic), here's a link for all sort of Mint growing facts and some historic fun stuff. Yeah, its gears toward Houston, but the rest is still valid for us newbie green-thumbers.
http://www.herbsociety-stu.org/Mint.htm
NOTE: Edited to add genus & species of mint plants.
[ This Message was edited by: I dream of tiki 2008-04-01 06:30 ]
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DJ HawaiianShirt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 04, 2006
Posts: 148
From: NoVA, DC
| Posted: 2008-04-01 06:18 am Permalink
I live in Washington DC, so I have to grow my mint in a window box on my balcony. Not only did it mostly take over the window box, but even after our particularly harsh winter, small sprouts were still there throughout.
Growing mint is about the easiest thing I've ever done. If anything, it's a bigger challenge to limit its growth. For people with gardens, I would suggest growing it in a pot anyway.
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http://spiritedremix.blogspot.com
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BrickHorn
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 03, 2005
Posts: 178
From: Texas
| Posted: 2008-04-01 07:54 am Permalink
I remember mint growing like a weed in our yard as a kid. Yet, somehow, my wife managed to kill her mint plant. I swear she's the botanical Angel of Death.
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Haole'akamai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 07, 2005
Posts: 2269
From: The Polynesian Port of NOLA
| Posted: 2008-04-01 09:26 am Permalink
Unless you're in an ideal climate, mint will not do as well in a pot as in the ground. And it'll take even more time and energy to grow it indoors.
Unlike Bamboo, though, mint 'rhizomes'(roots, really) grow on the surface of the ground (or very close under). If you discover and create a joy for tending to your garden space, you can very easily keep mint contained.
If you wish to spend less time in your garden, do like other have said (Talkie Tiki, for one) and choose a specialty (pineapple, apple, banana, cinnamon, orange) that's a slower-growing variety.
Here in Oakland, chocolate mint is a racehorse; so I wouldn't include it in this category. If anyone wants cuttings (of chocolate, orange, apple, banana, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, and peppermint), we've got 'em.
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54 house of bamboo
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 28, 2006
Posts: 291
From: Cambridge UK
| Posted: 2008-04-01 10:02 am Permalink
Moroccan mint is my favourite. What's that called in the US I wonder? 
Mentha spicata 'Nana' or 'Moroccan'
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[ This Message was edited by: 54 house of bamboo 2008-04-01 10:15 ]
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Limbo Lizard
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 24, 2006
Posts: 605
From: Aboard the 'Leaky Tiki', Dallas
| Posted: 2008-04-01 7:56 pm Permalink
Spearmint (mentha spicata) is the type you want to use in mojitos, julips, and as the garnish in tiki drinks. I grow it in the front flower bed. Peppermint doesn't have as strong a scent or flavor, it seems to me. I had both going for a while, but it all died out during a hot, dry summer. When I replanted, I only went back with spearmint.
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