Best way to start mints?

[Bettacreek]

I have peppermint, spearmint and catnip that I want to start, but, I'm not sure of the best way to start them. Right now, all I have are those jiffy peat pellet thingies. Should I try to find a tray type container and just fill it with loose peat/potting soil and put one type of mint per tray? To start, should I just sprinkle the seeds as evenly as possible or what?

 

[Reinbeau]

I would start four seeds per pellet. I don't think mint is hard at all to grow from seed, I've never done it, I got starts from other gardens, all you really have to do is throw it on the ground and stand back. Mint is virulent!

 

[Rosalind]

You can use those Jiffy things. The seeds are really tiny, I find the best thing to do is to wet a pinky finger, press it onto a few seeds, and then press that into the top of the starter pellet/soil of choice. Rinse finger between seed types, obviously.

They are, as Reinbeau mentioned, obnoxious about growing everywhere. Definitely don't plant the started plants in your actual yard, just keep them in containers only. After one season, just one or two mints of each type will be enough to keep you and all your neighbors in mint tea, mint flavored extract, mint sauce for lamb, mint jelly, mint salad dressing for fruit salad, mint liqueur, mint soap, peppermint Xmas potpourri...

 

[Reinbeau]

Your other option, if you've got an area that's either contained naturally or a large enough area away from anything you want to not be invaded is to plant the mint there. My mother has a natural spot for it, surrounded by driveway on two sides and concrete on the other two - just large enough for a healthy patch of mint.