Growing mints, pots or not?

lostinrates

I'm about to plant a bed of different mint varieties.

I'd read a lot advising to plant them in pots to contain them a bit and while I'm less worried about containing I thought it would be nice to be sure I was getting the mint I thought I was getting!

But some herb growers seem to distinctly advise against this.

Just wondering what any herby Mse-ers do and how it works for them.

( I am thinking a bottomless pot might be a good half way house option)

wallbash

Pots are a great idea, but half bury into ground, as 'potted' mint, standing on the ground would be exposed to lower temp and there is a danger of frost damage to the roots.

chris_n_tj

We used buckets with the bottom cut out. They were burried up to a couple of inches of the top. This was years ago and we still harvest our mint well into winter x

lostinrates

wallbash wrote: »

Pots are a great idea, but half bury into ground, as 'potted' mint, standing on the ground would be exposed to lower temp and there is a danger of frost damage to the roots.

chris_n_tj wrote: »

We used buckets with the bottom cut out. They were burried up to a couple of inches of the top. This was years ago and we still harvest our mint well into winter x

Yes, what ever we decide they will be going in to a bedded position, because, well, that's where we want them!

We want quite a few varieties of mint, partly to help fill a shadey bed, and partly because I use a lot of mint and it would be interesting to use more. This summer we added lime and orange mint and have enjoyed using them a lot, though chocolate mint really has just become a garden oddity my husband enjoys ( and I plan to put under the bird feeder knowing I won't be picking it for the kitchen!)

ClaireBetteridge

can i ask where you got the flavoured mints from as i have normal mint but would love to get a variety , my bil is bringing me black mint from his own garden tomorrow

in my old house many moons ago i planted mint in the garden, it grew like wildfire! so i stick to pots now

Claire xx

lostinrates

I bought theses at a nursery we'd gone to for something else but Arne herbs have plenty ( think the varity is dropping at the end of the season) or jekka mcvicker?

The best thing would be to google for a herb specialist nursery near you or use one like those that will sell on line.

DaftyDuck

Pots every time. I have about 15 pots, mainly buried, with a variety of mints. It certainly helps contain the spread, it keeps the plant as a bush, and helps stop rust spreading... Or at least, it's easy to evict an infected one. Another tip is to leave the pots upside down over the dormant part of winter. This prevents them getting too wet, and makes for compact early growth.

Each Spring I tip the contents out, throw out most of the root (not composted... It'll spread) and replant some central in the pot. I add plenty of gravel to the bottom of a bucket sized pot. In mid summer, I chop hard back.

Not all mints spread, Indian mint and Korean mint don't, and Corsican mint is so tiny it's great for paving cracks and walls.

Rummer

I have had a lot of bother with mint. After buying an array of different types I planted them direct into the bed (I didn't know they spread so much) they ran rampant and I pulled them out and replanted them in pots which did not stop one of them spreading wildly so I have dug them out and put them in pots.

Also I read somewhere that you should not plant different types of mint in the same space as they can lose their distinct flavours over time although I am not sure of the truth of that??

My plan for next year is to have a few different types in pots dotted around the garden

lostinrates

Rummer wrote: »

I have had a lot of bother with mint. After buying an array of different types I planted them direct into the bed (I didn't know they spread so much) they ran rampant and I pulled them out and replanted them in pots which did not stop one of them spreading wildly so I have dug them out and put them in pots.

Also I read somewhere that you should not plant different types of mint in the same space as they can lose their distinct flavours over time although I am not sure of the truth of that??

My plan for next year is to have a few different types in pots dotted around the garden

I saw a grouping on the tv not in a Chelsea show garden, but in a proper garden over that coverage time. That's what inspired me to lump them all together!

I should read this more I think.

Hither to we've just had a few varieties , morrocan, apple a couple of others straight in the ground in gardens and let them go.....

lostinrates

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Pots every time. I have about 15 pots, mainly buried, with a variety of mints. It certainly helps contain the spread, it keeps the plant as a bush, and helps stop rust spreading... Or at least, it's easy to evict an infected one. Another tip is to leave the pots upside down over the dormant part of winter. This prevents them getting too wet, and makes for compact early growth.

Each Spring I tip the contents out, throw out most of the root (not composted... It'll spread) and replant some central in the pot. I add plenty of gravel to the bottom of a bucket sized pot. In mid summer, I chop hard back.

Not all mints spread, Indian mint and Korean mint don't, and Corsican mint is so tiny it's great for paving cracks and walls.

Thank you, this is really interesting and useful!

With the cut back does that mean you miss the flowering period?

The beds ours will be going in are raised so extra drainage there too.

Pots are definitely seeming more useful if planting multiple varieties!

DaftyDuck

No, the cut back is straight after flowering, but before they get straggly. It takes some of the strength from them, like a fruit tree summer prune, and keeps the growth bushy.

It also reduces, but doesn't stop,the tendency to grow around and around the inside of the pot.

Rummer... I don't believe the mints will really lose flavour as they'll still be genetically pure. You will find free-range mints in a heap pretty impossible to identify and, as they all fiercely compete with each other, some will die out, others will be weakened.