How to Grow Mint in Containers (And Get a Huge Harvest)

Mint practically grows itself... and that's part of the problem! Learn to grow, reset, divide, propagate, and use mint with Kevin and Ana.
IN THIS VIDEO
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:19 - Varieties
01:00 - Growing In Containers
02:03 - Shaping Mint
02:39 - Pruning Down
04:25 - Resetting Mint
06:19 - Mint Extract
DISCLAIMER
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[@VeretenoVids]

Protip: Chocolate mint makes an amazing base for mint chip ice cream.

[@jjd13579]

I reduced an old mint by 80% last year, and it's never been happier. You really can't be too aggressive with reducing and reshaping it.

[@danaeads919]

There are 600 varieties of mint! 😊 I had a mint plant in a container that was doing quite well. I didnt pay attention and one of the branches laid down on the ground and TOOK OFF! I laughed so hard when I found mint on the opposite side of my asphalt driveway. Those roots worked harder than a groundhog 😅😅😅😅

[@ricky7111]

In an old apartment complex we had a whole yard area that no one ever used. So I asked my landlord if I could put some potted plants in that area. She said no. So i planted mint directly into the lawn as revenge. She never said anything about it, but every time they mowed, we had the best smelling lawn.

[@kypie8]

😆 How delightfully devious of you

[@mel-il4yu]

Love this idea!

[@epicgardening]

That's diabolical 😭

[@Lunasgarden2021]

That’s gold😊

[@mbusch2669]

😘👍🏻😘👍🏻😘👍🏻

[@TUKByV]

4:37 I used to buy bread knives at thrift stores to cut root balls like that, mainly for oregano.

[@lizlucey3812]

Smart

[@EMSpdx]

Oregano is no joke- it can be a spreader like mint!

[@acts.412]

Love oregano. The smell is gold ❤

[@arthurzackaryabrin]

@@EMSpdx For real!! But it's also our MOST visited plant by the pollinaters in our garden. it's CRAZY

[@HattoSora]

How to grow mint: 1) accidentally find mint in your garden 2) do nothing 3) it grows out of control 4) help

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I let this happen on purpose because I wanted to use mint as a ground cover. You can use a garden fork to pull it up by the roots if you want to control its spread. The roots are also usable, if you wash them well.

[@GoingGreenMom]

Rofl, I rescued a poor pathetic mostly dead seedling for .25 cents. Planted it in a similar space, later found out I'm sensitive to spearmint. So now I break out in hives every time I have to pull it. Lol. Oops.

[@n0etic_f0x]

I have someone who had all their grass replaced with mint. It was a house that went unsold for like half a year and they mow and there is always some mint in their grass so it smells like mint all the time.

[@MissAynneK]

Lol I totally feel you on this! I have SO. MUCH. MINT 😭🥴

[@smcdade4577]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Thanks for the tip! Never thought of it as ground cover!

[@suzannevega2289]

About 10 years ago I started having issues with my stomach, I was always nauseous . someone told me to use mint. Since then, I make tea every day, I just cut a couple stems & put them in hot water. the taste & after taste was a bit weird at 1st. but I'm used to it now and like it, now if I miss a day or 2, my stomach goes into an uproar. It's amazing how much it helps my stomach!

[@krisvaughan1531]

That's very Dutch! They drink that tea all the time.

[@suzannevega2289]

@@krisvaughan1531 Smart of them, I'm convinced it's very beneficial😉

[@zaria5785]

All of the “haircut” mint can be replanted in another container and gifted. We use it ALL OF THE TIME! Can’t grow enough. It’s never a problem in my yard. I literally use 3 bunches of mint every week. I dry them and crush them between my palms and then jar it up. I add to yogurt, soup, etc.

[@aiai-j7i]

How do you dry it, please?

[@rachelgreengfgarden5467]

To soups? What kind of soup goes will with mint? How else do you use it? All I ever use it for is tea or add it when making ice cream or a smoothie.

[@emmawileman3416]

@@aiai-j7i Cut a bunch of long-ish stalks and tie together with string, hang up in a warm, airy place for a couple of weeks until the leaves are so dry they break up when you rub between your fingers. Strip the leaves off the stalks and store in an airtight jar. Alternatively, if you have one of the fancier Foodi/Instant Pot type cookers with a dehydrate setting, you can buy mesh racks to dry herbs on, which is much faster but not free.

[@gikiryu]

Now I need a video on what to do with mint extract.

[@ConfusedOwl92]

Use it in everything

[@GoingGreenMom]

Anywhere that calls for Vanilla extract and you would want a mint flavor. ..

[@kypie8]

Probably good in iced tea!

[@kypie8]

Or maybe just drink it straight like peppermint schnapps 🤢😂

[@jennbasil]

You could make your own breath freshener with it.

[@ruthannecoro6198]

I’m totally into collecting mint.. love the various scents! I just added strawberry mint to my “collection” of 6-7 varieties now. I have a mountain mint seed to start as soon as it get here ❤ I grow mine in containers. Editing to add.. I’ve got mine in 5-10 gallon pots. I tried using fabric .. mint will grows thru it!

[@Gundumb_guy]

Why is my mint like a vine? Is that right? I bought it at a discount at my local feed store and it was on the bottom shelf so it seems like it grew out like that to get into the sun. I repotted it in a couple pots in hopes of deterring scoundrels from getting my basil.

[@sherylchapman4168]

@@Gundumb_guy keep it cut back. The sneaky little vines were trying to grow into my rosemary. They will grow into anything nearby.

[@ComicAddicts]

What! Strawberry 🍓 mint

[@danielleahy15]

MINT COLLECTORS ASSEMBLE: I have common mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, pineapple mint, apple mint, and I think one more im forgetting. ADDICTED

[@RyanBiedenbach]

I've heard of or have all of those. I also have one called mojito mint ​@@danielleahy15

[@krazmokramer]

I am growing spearmint in a terracotta pot submerged to the bottom of the rim in a raised bed also containing Korean melons, sweet peppers and rosemary (also in a submerged terracotta pot.) So far, no detectable escapees. I keep the mint well trimmed. It is currently looking like a well manicured lavender mound. I recently discovered that spearmint is a great addition to a fresh leaf lettuce salad with a balsamic vinegar/EVOO dressing. The spearmint gets visually hidden by the lettuce for a surprising and refreshing burst of flavor as you chew. Thanks for this video!!

[@SexMusicPlants]

It will make its way out, keep an eye out!

[@DandandanTelevison]

I recently started gardening. Mint was one of the very first things I got and it is definitely flourishing more than any other plant I have! It’s definitely one of my favorites.

[@hilpri]

I have grown mint from seeds and I noticed that, over the years, all the mint has turned into apple mint (light green and slightly fuzzy). Every once in a while I'll get a shoot of peppermint, but that's it. So if you're trying to grow lots of mint flavors, you may want to keep them separated so they don't cross pollinate and morph into each other. Or just don't plant apple mint 🙂

[@luminarygoddess8642]

I would love to exchange different types of mint with people, how awesome to have so many varieties ❤

[@_Benissimo]

I just recently bought myself some mojito mint and thought about how to handle it. Thanks a bunch for uploading, already went and trimmed it down a notch 👍

[@Itsabeautifuldayalways]

Photo bombed by one of your chickens, sooo cute... mint, smells amazing.

[@7-ten]

😂 anybody that believes mint is a pest deterrent has not grown mint that has been covered in bugs. 🍃🐛

[@mycreations318]

Thank you so much for this video. Definitely going to try that tincture out. Finally got my new house and the first things I bought were flowers and mint and rosemary. Loving your channel. Have a great day.❤❤

[@carolstettheimer9906]

Both the growing and the preserving segments were very helpful. Thanks!

[@noahsnumismatics]

Another great video. Love growing mint. Learned the hard way to not put it in your garden beds though 😅😆 I let it go thinking it looked awesome which it did but the plant took over the whole bed. Such a resilient plant

[@RyanBiedenbach]

I put my mint in the flower bed and deep mulched around it, makes it easy to dig up all the shoots for pruning/propagating

[@dawnclayberger688]

❤ LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! Thank you for showing us how to make Mint extract! 🎉

[@Yupppi]

I currently have a grocery store mint growing in a pint glass... I just occasionally fill the bottom with water and it's been pushing new growth like crazy. Nothing like the grocery store basils that care about being too tightly packed and inconsistent watering (too much, too little). The mint just keeps pushing. Ironically I've tried to sow mint for multiple times without success.

[@Warrior-In-the-Garden]

I blend with some water and freeze in ice trays. Super refreshing ice water.

[@j.l.emerson592]

I'm honestly puzzled by people claiming that mint & all mint relatives are invasive. In my experience, that's been untrue. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories is my mom digging up a part of our in ground mint plant, potting it & taking it with us to the next place we settled. My mom always planted the mint by a leaky outdoor faucet because we lived in a hot, dry climate. The mint NEVER "took over" or crowded out other plants. We always had fresh mint for tea & whatever else my mom wanted it for. I've wondered if planting mint near a leaky faucet made it dependent upon that water supply. I just know that the mint that my mom planted everywhere we lived never became invasive & never spread much more than a meter from the faucet it was planted near.

[@lostsoulsqueen2440]

my mint as well is right under the outside faucet by the hose we dnt maintain it its just always there when we need it

[@hollysharvest]

I've had the exact same experience, and I think living in a hot, dry climate might be the key.

[@annsfrench]

You must have had a well behaved variety. I’ve seen post from people who could not get rid of it in their yards.

[@AlicedeTerre]

I have similar problems. All the plants that people warn about getting invasive struggle when I plant it 😒

[@brendawiley4967]

Hi I love your channel. I tried a experimental thing with a bird bath. And so I have my mint growing in the bird bath. All I do is just add water to it and it's slowing. It's draping over the edges. It looks very pretty.

[@carolvogel2008]

I love the mint in the birdbath idea! 😊

[@tatianatub]

Thank you for the shaping tip

[@grisespino5342]

Great info guys. Thanks for the mint extract recipe.

[@TheKathybarth]

Excellent video!! Thank you.

[@kimmymsteele]

I gave up on a garden bed situated behind my garage, and between patio pavers where nothing wants to keep growing. Planted a bunch of mint, cat nip and a weird variety of lavender I found. Hoping these will take over and at least keep it green and not just dirt and smelling good.

[@vincients569]

Be careful most mint is very bad and toxic for cats and cat nip attracts cat. Most cats won't eat mint in my experience but some aren't quite as smart as others.

[@kimmymsteele]

@@vincients569 thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep an eye out and move the catnip if I find it’s being nibbled on overnight.

[@alphamet3258]

Add organic matter to the bed.

[@pmberkeley]

I really like how you casually group chocolate under fruit - it is!

[@kathyengland3534]

Thank you for this video! I've tried to grow mint in the past and I think my fail was my use of a terracotta pot. I' m excited to grow mint again and to make the extract!

[@mhawang8204]

No matter how much I harvest, my mint in a small pot is still leggy. I’ll definitely try this! Thank you for making this video 🙏🏼

[@sherylchapman4168]

@@mhawang8204 chop it into small segments, then replant one segment in fresh soil.

[@epicgardening]

Looking forward to your new mint! 🌱

[@viannecash3774]

Sometimes plants are leggy because they need more light.

[@sherylchapman4168]

@@viannecash3774 mine is leggy Today, I cut it back so it gets more light on the inside. Hope this helps

[@onemoredoll5791]

I grow mint and it grows like crazy but my son is addicted to mint tea. He drinks a gallon of ice-mint tea. Ours grows about 2 feet high. I need to grow an additional huge epic gardening bed of it.

[@LaineyBug2020]

Hey, to add to your gardening practice, have you thought about setting up a copper essential oil and hydrosol distillery and since you have fruits, a spirits distillery for surplus? I would also love to see more videos of what you make with and how you use all your plants!

[@JameyReads]

Really helpful. Thank you!

[@luminarygoddess8642]

I have chocolate mint and it has brown edges so good

[@cindypelletier9365]

Awesome! Great info!

[@micheles7269]

this is perfect timing! i can't get mint to grow here in south texas. i tried in ground, now i have it in pots. they just die. this was great. thank you!

[@epicgardening]

Glad to be of help! 🫡

[@Pachinko1]

I have a cookies and cream mint which is delicious too! Great tips thanks 😊

[@ComicAddicts]

Whoa, I didn't know there were so many different varieties of Mint! Wow

[@zarahfrancisco3734]

I once got a small pot of mint and I planted it in one of those large styrofoam boxes used for tuna. It grew so much and I had more than I knew what to do with it. It eventually died though, probably due to a combination of pest and the roots running out of space in the box. I plan to get another pot again one of these days.

[@itwillgroweventually]

Wait you killed mint.......tell me your secrets sorcerer.😂😂

[@Notable2Nikki]

My chocolate mint plant has cascaded down the entire side of my greenstalk! I love using it as homemade tea and even just mint water in the fridge. It is so refreshing in the summer! My kids though, they want homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. Living in Ohio and loving our Kentucky bourbon, we make mint juleps too!

[@christineborgatti3760]

I definitely need to tend to my mint. I have one that smells a bit like sage. That's my favorite.

[@macnelson298]

I just started a garden for the first time and i got given a bunch on mint varieties. Lemon mint and strawberries & cream mint are by far cooles ive seen. Im gonna try to muddle it with some dr pepper😂

[@7-ten]

Does strawberry and cream mint refer to the color or the flavor of the plant? I have never heard of that variety.

[@ChristmasStitcherAtHeart-Greg]

I picked up a apple mint this year that smells so good!

[@MrSunlander]

So surgical. I just do the Chelsea chop when things get outta hand. Cheers!

[@KYMarty]

Anybody that wants mint can come pick some from my yard. I've lived here for 6 years and still cannot get rid of it. Listen to Kevin, NEVER NEVER plant this in the ground unless you want the entire field to be mint. There is no way to only grow 1 mint plant. It will take over whatever container it is in. If that container happens to be your yard then you just gave up the whole yard to mint. Containers and vigilance is what it takes to grow mint. You have been forewarned.

[@Sanakhan-oe8ks]

Same goes with curry leaves if it is old enough to produce seeds

[@phyternl]

I Looooove chocolate mint! It's beyond my favorite variety. And it makes incredible mojitos.

[@kristinanoall]

How did you know I just harvested a bag of my SIL’s mint yesterday, to make into extract (which I’ve never done before) as neighbor Christmas gifts?? Perfect, thank you! 🙏🏻

[@daniellewagner3926]

I am finally successfully growing mint for the first time this year, it always dies early for me before I get a good harvest. 😂 It's the julep variety of mint and it's got an incredible taste! It's perfect for cocktails or just to grab a leaf as you walk by.

[@user-hn8zb6tq6b]

Thanks for the great tips man it's really helpful because i have alot of mint but im a child (12 years old)so i cant use vodka

[@psychochef05]

this video couldn't have come at a better time. I just put my chocolate mint into a container last week. I can’t wait to make pesto with it!

[@changingpeopleslivesmoon2993]

I love your garden 🪴

[@AnyKeyLady]

I like making mint chocolate chip ice cream! 😋

[@shibibi1]

I recently had repot and split my mint by hand, no knife... It was messy and I'm so scared I'll be finding mint growing where I've dropped a rhizome 😅 I actually hate mint as a flavor. But I use it in my dogs meals for breath odor, and around my chicken coops to help deter pests!

[@smcdade4577]

Mint took over my compost pile!!! Also, I grew it with my green pepper in a 5 gallon bucket & the pepper barely survived!

[@ricky7111]

I had the same thing happen! I'd keep turning it, and it'd heeping "dying" then coming back

[@smcdade4577]

@@ricky7111 It must be the rhizomes that keep it coming back. A science friend told me mint is invasive.

[@sharont2878]

Ive grown yhe choc mint before and I use it in my tice pudding...i always grow miny in a pot never in the garden

[@caseycasas2498]

*looks at my struggling mint on my railing planter* I wish I knew what I'm doing wrong. I've not had mint that was super happy (too much sun? inconsistent watering?). My catnip inside though is doing awesome

[@janedough6575]

When I saw the title of this video I thought how is it possible not to? 😂

[@emkn1479]

Have you done a spotlight on calendula since Ana joined the crew? I need to know (and see the process) how to make calendula salve!

[@PNW_ana]

one of my favorite plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@emkn1479]

@@PNW_ana can I use any calendula blooms or is resina best?

[@PNW_ana]

@@emkn1479 I use any calendula blooms, but the resina has the MOST medicinal value

[@HortBlam]

For the extract, I didn’t understand why she put some baking parchment in between the lid…

[@Nina-ig5ev]

I think it is so that the mint that floats on the top doesn't get moldy but stays in the liquid

[@PNW_ana]

To keep as much air out as possible as @nina-ig5ev mentioned, but also to keep the alcohol from corroding the metal of the lid on the jar. :)

[@dirkjanrulez23]

i planted peppermint in mt garden. in ground... 8 years later still find it everywhere

[@sherylchapman4168]

@@dirkjanrulez23 what do you even do with it? I find it quite inedible.

[@WilliamHollinger2019]

My mom got organic Mint from a filthy rich supermarket. Plant it in a pot it was ok then we took half of it plant it behind the porch. It took off and fighting with weeds until I cut them down sadly I chopped the mint as well some of the mint survived. I hate mowing. Letting nature be is a refresher plants is giving bees food. Snakes sleep and hunt. Young trees grows. Grass goes to seed and becomes a straw when finished with seeds. Sadly half of my parent's backyard have to mow due to township laws.

[@quiestinliteris]

Mints, man. .__. Mints. Typically can't CONTROL them, but Texas just killed my catnip for the very first time, which I wouldn't have thought possible. Especially since this catnip is the one that came up completely randomly in a planter where I'd never had any catnip well over a year after my previous plant died of dog pee, having never been allowed to seed. I swear it was spontaneous generation. That thing was really making like it was immortal, but ultimately it couldn't take the heat.

[@DrinksOnCosby]

I planted mint directly into my lawn in hopw it would smother out other stuff and reduce black berries

[@ellenkuang8853]

My MIL's yard when she asked for help with weeding. She planted mint years ago right next to the concrete pad part of their backyard. 😭 I had my partner help me with her 15ft x 4ft pad of mint as weeds. He learned the hard way why mint should never be planted outside of a pot. 😂

[@sxd-215]

What do you do with the "pancake" and dried/dying trimming? is it safe enough to compost? I've tried comparing bean sprouts before and they just grow in my compost. Wondering if mint would just spread in compost.

[@maxritter7868]

I can relate to the "cutting up rootballs feels like a crime" part lol. I recently repotted and split up some monsteras and I was puckering the whole time... I love the result but hated the process haha A question tho: since basil is also in the mint family I'm guessing that most of this video applies there too, is that correct?

[@sewingbreesinger4831]

I love chocolate mint!

[@sphere_of_facts111]

I swear that mint doesn't like me, the variety that I actually want growing grows minimally, but the variety that I don't want has taken over my garden.

[@whomadethewordword5035]

Would have made the video complete if ideas on how to use the mint extract had been included.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

My spearmint in my container from last year was one of the few herbs I had that survived.

[@mobius273]

I believe in spearmint culinary supremacy 🙏

[@lgparker4726]

I have tried growing mint for many years and I'm never successful. I've tried all kinds of flavours; nothing grows. And when I buy a new plant and leave in garden the slugs go; yippee she's brought lunch and dinner. I've tried little pots, big pots, terracotta and plastic pots. I would love a big bushy plant like you have.

[@KatieArtttt]

Can this also work for lemon balm?

[@phillyhippie]

Y'all plant native mountain mints! ❤ pollinators love them and they help native wildlife

[@omef2645]

Do you wash the mint leaves first before putting into a jar for mint extract?

[@mceniryroschke]

Random question...how can i use charcoal briquette ashes in the garden. Compost? Spread them in grass? Would you consider doing a video experiment?

[@JackrabbitCrafts]

A few years back our mint got out of the yard into the neighbors’ neglected patch of dirt along their fence. And since they dont so much as sweep along side there now 80% of the fence is lined with mint. It’s simultaneously the best and worst thing ever because no mater how much i yank out on my side of the fence theres still a trillion more shoots coming through. Its a serious weed.

[@elladumaplin6922]

Ok,I watched the video till the end which yielded the mint/vodka extract,but how do I use it? For what? Please answer my query! Thanks.

[@brendawise4365]

E.Tx. have trouble growing lavender. If you can give me any hints I would appreciate it. Thank you

[@crankygoose]

Me as well in zone 8b. I am on my second plant this year 😢

[@LaineyBug2020]

My 8th grade art teacher gave us all a mint plant in a glass bowl for graduation. I had it until we moved my senior year and my dad dropped it and threw it away and carted it off to the dump site before he told me about it!

[@indiefan23]

Step one. Put mint in a container. Step two. Hope it doesn't escape.

[@Karnol428]

Will it come back year after year if in pots?

[@GlassBoxHero]

I use everclear for extracts because i don't mess around, lol

[@user-ue7hq8nq6n]

Can you compost the cuttings or will they root?

[@amy_soucy]

The way you just tossed the stems and roots around had my anxiety peaked! 😂 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

[@oremukihss]

When he tossed the cake of roots onto his soil I'm like "That's how you get more mint 😐"

[@xfortunesquex]

Could one theoretically make basil extract in the same way? I am an absolute softie with thinning seeds and may have an "issue" 😶

[@enoki79]

I have failed to grow peppermint from seed indoors at least 4 times now. I may need to give up on starting from seed and just look for a transplant. They do sprout but just get leggy and slow, despite a grow light. The roots just never seem to succeed in indoor soil plus perlite plus vermiculite mix. Any advice for me?

[@kimabola8258]

What can you do with mint extract?

[@ronelljenkins9712]

Chocolate mint. Everyone that I've handed to they taste it and say York Peppermint patty!

[@veronicadoggone5660]

Mint may grow itself but here in central GA I've got a catapillar or something that eats it so fast

[@johnxlibris]

8:31 what is the parchment for? Can you make it without that or is it necessary?

[@FloraM44]

Okay but was the "exspearmint with varieties" intentional?? 😂😂

[@bridgettewade4167]

I can't recommend chocolate mint enough, it smells like the chocolate dinner mints you can get some places ☺️

[@Vladpryde]

What do you do with the leftover leaves and sprigs from the mint extract? Just throw them in your compost bin?

[@PNW_ana]

yes, exactly!!

[@realearly12]

Is that a $300 Boos block cutting board that you are potting up on??? LoL

[@Gundumb_guy]

I just bought some mint off the discount rack but it’s very vine like! I’m a bit confused by it

[@Hyderagean]

Chocolate mint is the best, it smells like hot cocoa.