Mint takes over the entire garden bed

Aggressive runners spreading underground. Grow in a buried bottomless pot or a standalone container to confine roots.

Orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides

Mint rust, a fungal disease. Remove affected stems, improve airflow, and cut the plant back hard if widespread.

Too much shade or skipped harvesting. Give it morning sun and pinch tips regularly to force bushy growth.

Overcrowded, exhausted clump. Divide the plant every 2–3 years and replant healthy runners in fresh soil.

Gardening

A vigorous perennial herb that smells like summer and spreads like wildfire. Grow it in a pot unless you want it to colonize the whole bed.

When to plant mint where you live

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Sun

Part shade

Hardiness zones

Zones 3–9

Spacing

18–24 in apart, or one plant per container to contain spread.

Soil

Moist, rich, well-draining soil; tolerates a wide range but likes consistent moisture; pH 6.0–7.0.

Watering

Keep soil evenly moist, about 1–2 in/week; mint wilts quickly if it dries out.

Plant / sow (typical)

Apr – May

Harvest (typical)

Jun – Sep

Starting

Easiest from root divisions or cuttings, which root readily in water; seed is slow and variable.

Companions

Good with Cabbage, Tomato, Pea. Keep apart from Parsley, Chamomile.

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Mint takes over the entire garden bed. Aggressive runners spreading underground. Grow in a buried bottomless pot or a standalone container to confine roots.
Orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides. Mint rust, a fungal disease. Remove affected stems, improve airflow, and cut the plant back hard if widespread.
Leggy, sparse growth with few leaves. Too much shade or skipped harvesting. Give it morning sun and pinch tips regularly to force bushy growth.
Weak, flavorless leaves after a few years. Overcrowded, exhausted clump. Divide the plant every 2–3 years and replant healthy runners in fresh soil.