Crop guide
How to grow mint
How to grow mint means matching cited perennial and container notes to your bed, keeping sources separate by geography. There is no single trick.
Growing guidance is general information. Timing, spacing, and care depend on cultivar, weather, soil, and local conditions. Check the sources and adjust the plan for your garden.
Steps (range, not a promise)
- 01Read cited perennial notes — peppermint, spearmint, and rhizomes stay source-specific.
- 02Match container and light notes to the sheet for your geography.
- 03Log the bed so next season is not a guess.
Mint plants in a home garden bed.
The season, on your ground
Save this bed — freeWhen to plantHarvestGarden pests
What the sources say — at a glance
One source per card. Facts are not averaged.
Illinois Extension (Illinois)
Hardy perennial. Rhizomes. Containers above ground.
Details and limits (3)
Types
Illinois Extension (Illinois): peppermint (Mentha × piperita) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) grow from 1-3 feet tall and spread by underground rhizomes. They produce violet flowers. Identification.
Placement
Illinois Extension (Illinois): mints are extremely hardy perennials. They prefer a full sun location but will tolerate light shade. It is suggested that mints be grown in containers above ground. Identification, light, and container note.
Limit
Illinois herbs mint page. Identification, light, and container notes only — not a start calendar.
Maryland Extension (Maryland)
Spreads aggressively. 12–16 inch container. Peppermint and spearmint.
Details and limits (3)
Placement
Maryland Extension (Maryland): mints are perennial herbs that are known for spreading aggressively. Grow them in a container about 12 to 16 inches in diameter. Runners (stolons) can be cut as needed if they try to creep out of the pot. Container method.
Types
Maryland Extension (Maryland): peppermint (Mentha piperita) produces upright stems about 2 feet or more in height. Tiny purplish flowers appear in dense terminal spikes 1 to 3 inches long. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) produces pointed, slightly crinkled leaves that are lighter green in color than peppermint. Identification.
Limit
Maryland growing-mint page. Identification and container notes only — not harvest.
Clemson HGIC (South Carolina)
Invasive if not confined. Moist soil. Part shade. Container.
Details and limits (2)
Types
Clemson HGIC (South Carolina): they can become invasive if not confined. All prefer to grow in rich, moist or even damp soil in part shade. Plant herbs that spread aggressively, such as the mints, in a container or planter. Identification and container note.
Limit
South Carolina combined herbs sheet. Mint identification and container notes only — not harvest.
Make it yours
Save the bed in the Field Book so next season is not a guess.
Sources differ
Verified suppliers only
No supplier on this page
When a partner is listed, it will be outbound and disclosed. Nothing to buy here. Fertilizer, soils, and pesticides stay off this slot.
What to record in the Field Book
Save the bed with the crop and the date. You may add a photo and notes. Compare entries you have recorded with each other — not with a diagnosis from this page. If you want an identification, bring the record to local Extension.
How we know — methodology. Ranges and assertions are cited per source, not blended.