Growing Mint Outdoors Winter

Dig up the plant and bin it.
Growing mint outdoors winter. This fast growing herb can grow just about anywhere and makes an excellent addition to indoor and outdoor gardens. Hardiness will depend on the variety you are growing but mints are widely adaptable. 18 21 c during the day and 55 60 f. Repot a portion in the same container using fresh compost.
Quick guide to growing mint. Use a runner from an existing outdoor mint plant. In areas with frost they grow as perennials going dormant in the winter and coming back with new growth in the spring. The colder your climate the more your plants run the risk of not surviving the winter.
Check plants regularly for mint rust. Water the mint plant well after planting and place it in an area with indirect light preferably an east facing window during spring and summer or a west or south facing one in fall and winter. You ll also want to locate your mint plant in an area with an indoor temperature of around 65 70 f. It is best to buy mint as young plants in spring.
Where to plant mint. Some cold hardy herbs mint thyme oregano sage and chives are very well adapted. Peppermint mentha piperita is very cold hardy able to withstand the cooler temperatures in usda hardiness zone 3 spearmint mentha spicata handles the heat best and can grow in zone 11 if you are growing your mint indoors you will need to provide humidity. Runners are long stems that grow away from a mint plant.
Don t cut at this one too much just allow it to make good growth and keep it trimmed to about 6 inches 15 cm this way you will have lots of stems for winter use the cutting back will make other stems shoot up and stop the flowers growing. Temperature and humidity. Pot up a plant in the spring use a 4 inch 10cm pot of good compost. Growing mint likes well drained nutrient rich moist soil with a ph between 5 6 and 7 5.
13 15 c at night. Runners set their own roots in the ground which means they can be carefully removed and transplanted into a new pot. When growing in pots rejuvenate congested clumps by upturning the container removing the rootball and splitting it in half. Plants thrive in zones 3 11 depending on the variety.
One or two plants will easily cover the ground. It s best to grow them in pots to keep them from taking over your garden even if you re planting in the ground. Plant mint in spring after the last frost. Mint is a vigorous plant that will spread all over the place if planted straight into the ground.
Space mint plants 18 to 24 inches apart. If you have a friend with an existing outdoor mint plant you may be able to use one of their runners. Mints will grow readily in sun or part shade and some types even survive in shade though they may become leggy. Mint rust remains in the soil for at least three years so don t plant other mints tarragon or chives in that spot after infection.
Mint should grow to be 1 or 2 feet tall.