Mint, or mentha, is such a powerful flavoring that you don’t use it for many things, but when you need it, everyone is glad to have some around. We stuff large handfuls into jugs of iced tea before it’s iced. So the tea will absorb more flavors, and sprinkle small snippets of it into cold mixed fruit or in homemade ice cream, sherbet, and ice.
It is said to be excellent for settling the stomach. This herb is a hardy, vigorous perennial that grows one to three feet tall, depending on the species and conditions. Most species have crinkly leaves, an upright growth habit, and attractive purplish flowers. Spearmint (Mentha Spicata) has the strongest flavor.
Moreover, other popular garden mints include peppermint (M. piperita), with dark, pointed leaves, and apple mint (M. rotundifolia), whose leaves are rounded, gray, green, and somewhat hairy. The last is more compact and best for indoor growing. Most mints grown as herbs are hybrid varieties that do not breed true to seed. There are several other good hybrid mints that you can explore.
Well, to grow this powerful herb, having some mint around is never a problem; having just a little mint is harder. If you do not restrain the plant in some way, your herb garden will simply be a mint garden.
Gardeners devise their own schemes, the more successful of which will involve a barrier not only around the mint. But under it is generally a stout container, such as a bucket, with some holes for drainage. Mint roots will eventually snake themselves over the top and through the holes, but you can buy yourself a lot of time this way.
Moreover, mint will grow well in full sun but prefers partial shade and rich, moist soil. Pinching back the stems and snipping off flowers as they form will make the plants bushier. Even if it is cut right to the ground, it will regrow. Mint may be easily propagated to increase your supply. Just dig up a plant with runners attached, cutting the stems back, or root a runner or stem in moist sand.
Before bringing a pot of mint indoors, cut it back and keep it outdoors for a few weeks of freezing nights. Moreover, snip as required, and to dry, keep the leaves on the stems until they are dry. Also, crumble them off and dry them some more, then store them in airtight jars. The leaves may also be frozen.
Also Read: Cilantro is Sweet-Smelling Herb to Healing Spices