Growing your own mint is so easy, and once you taste the flavorful difference from store bought tea, you’ll never go back.
Simply follow these steps:
1. Buy yourself a mint plant
The best thing to start from is an already grown mint plant because growing from seeds can be difficult, and its hard to get a plant true to its species from seeds. It will be easy to find your mother plant at a greenhouse, farmer’s market, or grocery store. Take the time to find a mint plant that is free of bugs or little insects, otherwise this will ruin all your new plants. (Or, for a sure cure, you can rinse your plant with soapy water every 3 days for 3 weeks to kill any bugs, and the eggs they’ve laid.)
2. Replant your new mother plant
Mint plants are often sold in tiny plastic pots. But mint needs lots of space to grow. So choose a pot that is large enough, and add more soil as you re-pot your mint. Lightly pack the soil and water it right away. Make sure you get a pot with a hole in the bottom, and put a tray or plate under it.
3. Care for your mother mint plant
Mint will grow almost anywhere–just give it enough light and water. Mint can handle full sun, but prefers partial shade. So put her next to any window in your home, or anywhere in the garden. These plants like lots of water, so just make sure the soil is humid, but not drowning. The roots need air, too. If you plant it in the ground, put it in a big bucket that has the bottom cut out, so the fast growing roots don’t take over your garden’s other plants.
4. Put some sprigs in a glass of water
Choose sprigs that have 3-4 leaves, and cut about half an inch (about a centimeter) above a junction. This allows new branches to grow just below that junction. Then put several sprigs in one glass of water, until plenty of roots grow (about 3 weeks).
5. Plant your new mint babies
Take a new pot for each sprig plant, or combine several rooted sprigs into one large pot. Give your new babies enough water and light, and soon you’ll have a whole brood of mint plants you can harvest leaves from all year long.
6. Taking leaves for tea
Try to take sprigs near the top or the bigger leaves so that the smaller leaves get more light. This light pruning also encourages the plant to grow faster, thicker, and healthier.
7. Re-pot your mint each year
The roots grow so fast, they can quickly run out of place. Take the plant out of its pot, divide the root ball into 3 or 4 pieces, and plant each into a separate pot of the appropriate size. If you don’t, your plant will start to produce smaller leaves, and could eventually die in just a couple years.
It is good idea to grow several plants at a time and don’t take leaves for your mint tea before your plants have grown large enough. Otherwise, you will quickly run out of mint leaves. Enjoy that cool, refreshing and fresh menthol.
Sera Filson is a writer, professional student, health enthusiast, and proud mother who’s currently pursing a B.A. in Business Management. When she’s not writing, exercising, or studying, she enjoys reading about body contouring and being a fan of Sono Bello on LinkedIn.
Posted under Home Herb Garden, Kitchen Herb Garden
This post was written by BG_Assistant on June 16, 2011






