In place of hoarding Girl Scout mint cookies, maybe its time to look into growing mint on your own. Who does not treasure the guilty pleasure of refreshing mint? That guy in the background put your hand down. Growing mint at home is much easier than navigating the crowded aisles to buy it in the grocery store.
Growing mint, the world's favorite flavor, has grown a new twist. The distinctive cool taste grows in more sweet varieties other than peppermint or spearmint. We are all well acquainted with chocolate mint. You can also grow mints with tantalizing hints of pineapple and apple mint in your backyard. The flavors of growing mint can satisfy a fruity or spicy craving, not just our sweet tooth.
Check nurseries for mints with fancy foliage to add lovely leaf patterns to your garden landscape. The perfect spot for growing mint is in a pot of rich, moist well-drained soil. This hardy perennial herb prefers full to partial sun. Growing mint needs at least six hours per day of sunlight. Mint does not like dry conditions; its preference is for partial shade.
Start seeds indoors eight weeks prior to the last spring frost. Seed germination takes about two weeks. Your mantra should be water regularly, fertilize sparingly. Do not over water.
Growing mint requires little care except a touch up in the spring. It is advisable to trim down the patch as the stems grow rapidly. Mint will quickly take over your garden if left to run wild. From garden to table, growing mint needs little or no preparation.
Peppermint and spearmint grow 12 to 18 inches tall. Growing mints is possible inside using fluorescent lamps or plant lights.
Growing mint tips--
Rust is a harmful disease that plagues growing mint. If you notice orange spots on the backs of mint leaves, use an organic dust to control the danger.
Grow mint near roses deters garden pests.
Lay mint leaves out on paper towels for several days to dry. Store dried leaves in tight jars for winter use. Leaves may be frozen fresh.
Mint flavors and uses--
Peppermint, Mentha piperita, is one of the most effective of the mint herbs, and has been used for centuries to relieve indigestion, nausea, and heartburn. Peppermint schnapps may give temporary relief from head colds. Peppermint tea is used to cure hiccups.
The genus name Mentha comes from classic Greek mythology. The god Hades had fallen in lust for a nymph named Minthe. His wife, Persephone, enraged with jealousy, crushed Hades's love interest into the humble, walked on mint plant. Hades softened the spell by giving his beloved a sweet scent to perfume the air whenever her leaves were trodden over.
To make peppermint syrup, you take a handful of mint leaves, put in equal parts of sugar and water, and simmer. Drizzle on to fruit or pancakes. Peppermint leaves are used to make mint jelly served with lamb roast. Spearmint freshens breath when chewed and curbs your appetite
Pineapple mint--
Dresses up a cheese platter or cools down a plate of spicy foods. Decorate the outside of a cheese log with mint leaves for a celebration.
Ginger mint--
Livens up salads or pesto.
Chocolate mint--
Hot chocolate topping or on ice cream.
Apple mint--
Float leaves in water to create unforgettable summer refreshments. Add mint leaves to pitchers of iced tea. Mint Juleps are always a hit at parties.
Ah, smell the intense aroma of the growing mint. The Girl Scouts are safe now from you tackling them for their cookies. You have your own mint!
