Post a reply

Avatar for DDragon121016
May 2, 2018 7:03 AM CST
Thread OP
Morrisonville, NY
I grew mint last year in my ground vegetable garden and it was absolutely beautiful and grew very well. Spring has finally sprung up here in upstate NY and I started to prepare my garden. I noticed the mint is starting to take over and even grow into the grass. I want to keep mint for this year but maybe the garden is not the right place for it. I was reading up on it and said you can grow mint in pots. Do you think I can transplant the mint that is already in the ground into a pot? If so, how do I do that without killing the plant? And how deep/big does the pot need to be? I was thinking of having one of the long window box planters so it can just sit right on the edge of my garden.
Image
May 2, 2018 8:30 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Yes, mint spreads by underground stolons, so it will keep going, and take over if you leave it in the ground. Dig up a few clumps (dig deep!) and put them in a pot. Use a saucer or some other device to block the drain holes in the pot or it will "escape" again into the ground. As large a pot as you think you can manage would be good. It's a nice plant, but gets out of control easily, especially in a space that you are watering and fertilizing like a vegetable garden.

Keep a close eye on the area where it was planted - any little pieces of root will start growing again, so pluck it out as soon as it pops up to stop it.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." โ€“Winston Churchill
Avatar for DDragon121016
May 2, 2018 9:27 AM CST
Thread OP
Morrisonville, NY
Thank you dyzzypyxxy! I will get on it right away since it is already starting to show in many place. I hope I dont kill it when trying to dig it up. From the sounds of it, it seems like its pretty hardy and relentless so good chance I wont kill it!
Image
May 2, 2018 2:11 PM CST
Name: Philip Becker
Fresno California (Zone 8a)
Don't worry there Dragon.
You can't hardy kill the stuff.
If you take a top cutting, stick it in soil, and water it ! It will grow ! ๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿ™Š๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿ™Š
๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž
Anything i say, could be misrepresented, or wrong.
Avatar for Starfishmomma
May 3, 2018 10:39 AM CST
UK
I put some apple mint on my allotment in a pot, sunk into the ground with the rim just above the level of the soil. I find that slows down the spread of plants with similar habits, but doesn't stop them spreading. Loganberry in particular is just about impossible to prevent from spreading. Anyway, this mint seems to grow slower than "normal" mint, although a stolon has still managed to grow over the rim and rooted in the surrounding soil, so make sure you leave a bit of pot rim as a little barrier. Is it normal for speciality mints to grow slower than standard mints?
Image
May 3, 2018 3:26 PM CST
Name: stone
near Macon Georgia (USA) (Zone 8a)
Garden Sages Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Plant Identifier
DDragon121016 said:I noticed the mint is starting to take over and even grow into the grass.


How is this a problem?

Mint lawns are cool.
Avatar for Starfishmomma
May 4, 2018 6:27 AM CST
UK
As always, it's a case of what you want and don't want to do. I certainly don't mind mint running amok normally. I even tried one year to grow numerous mints in a mint garden, I don't know what went wrong but many died off before they became established. Morrocan, chocolate, apple, pineapple, Swiss, peppermint and another type I can't remember. If you are going to have to put up with weeds in the garden, it could be worse than mint, at least it's useful and fragrant. Right now I have lemon balm spreading a bit - with help from me! A simple, attractive plant, not much attention needed, fragrant, useful leaves, easy to dig up a chunk and transplant and from my experience it's hardier than mint. Perennial, dying down over winter to miraculously regrow in spring to provide ground cover.
Last edited by Starfishmomma May 4, 2018 8:04 AM Icon for preview
Only the members of the Members group may reply to this thread.
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Rhododendron and Azalea"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.