How To Grow

Peppermint is very easy to grow.  In fact, it grows so aggressively that most garden books advise you to enclose the roots of peppermint in a pot to prevent it from taking over your garden bed. I have mine planted in an old fashioned tin bath tub.

Peppermint is part of the mint family, in which there are many varieties. It will hybridize easily. So if you grow several mint plants side by side, over time their flavors will mingle and they will lose their distinctive tastes. Chocolate mint, pear mint, spearmint, and even apple mint varieties are available.

Peppermint is easy to find in most plant nurseries and even in common variety stores where plants are sold. Herbs seem to sell out quickly in the spring, so don’t hesitate in purchasing early. It is easier to grow from a start or cutting than to grow by seed. If you know someone with a peppermint plant, you can take a cutting or divide the plant to start you own patch.

Peppermint likes water, so plant it where you will remember to water it. It will begin to droop if it becomes thirsty. To keep the plant growing all summer, keep it trimmed. This will inhibit the plant from forming blossoms. Once it forms flowers, the plant will slow down. You may have to do this once a week or so.

Divide already established plants in spring or fall, or take cuttings during the growing season and root them in water.

Peppermint roots easily from cuttings. Take a 4 inch cutting and strip the last inch of its leaves. Soak it overnight in water and then just place it in a growing medium. It will root in two weeks and start sending up new growth.