mints....

[Greenthumb18]

Has anyone ever tried growing pineapple mint, apple mint or even chocolate mint? I myself am amazed at these mints and will give it a try this year along with other herbs, like tarragon. I don't know theirs something special about a herb garden with all those smells and tastes. Those mints would be perfect in Sweet tea or other summertime drink .

 

[wifezilla]

I have chocolate mint. Makes great tea.

 

[patandchickens]

I grow chocolate mint -- it is quite close to the smell of a Peppermint Patty. Other mints are nice too, although they vary in how close to their namesake scent they are.

I'd suggest if you're going to have several, to not grow them right next to each other as my impression is that it decreases the unique character of each one's scent.

Remember they like more moisture or shade (you can kind of trade off between the two) than most herbs, and will cheerfully take over your entire garden if allowed so are best planted in something enclosed like a bottomless DEEP pot sunk into the ground. (They'll still escape, but less quickly or severely)

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Greenthumb18]

Thanks for those tips patandchickens, i bet chocolate mint must be real good in teas. Yeah i probably wont keep all the mints close together, their scents might mix together. Yeah i believe that they will take over an entire garden i have spearmint that grows like weeds but i use it so often that it keeps it compact. Now with these others mints i plan to plant i'll have fun using them in drinks and desserts or even by themself, trolling through the garden and pick up these scents of mint.

Thanks Pat!!

 

[Sylvie]

I grow pineapple mint and apple mint. Very nice and not hard to control. I harvest them so much for iced tea that they don't get a chance to spread. The pineapple is less hardy for me so I must buy plants each year. I should take cuttings and let them root in water all winter like my patchouly.

I have chocolate mint but it is fast becoming unpopular in the herb garden. Despite growing it in a deep bottomless pot, it leaned over the top edge and rooted without my knowledge in our rainy summer and the runners spread under the mulch of the paths and popped up all over.

I'd like to try orange mint and ginger mint.

I have Corsican mint between the flagstones on my patio. It is strong like pennyroyal and is the flavoring for creme de menthe liqueur.

Spearmint is used for mint juleps.

 

[patandchickens]

If anyone's ever near Toronto, you gotta go to Richter's Herbs (about 40 min N of the city) and walk thru their greenhouse ruffling things with your fingers and sniffing. The mint section especially is FANTASTIC.

They do ship to the US but sadly their catalog is not 'scratch n sniff' so you would have to go on faith when ordering


Pat

 

[Sylvie]

Someone on here said they had Pear mint! I want one of those. :bee

 

[Greenthumb18]

Someone on here said they had Pear mint! I want one of those. :bee

Pear mint! have heard of it but yes sounds interesting and worth trying. I just cant believe or imagine how many types of mints their are each with their own distinct scent.

 

[Peeps]

I have heard that mint keeps fleas away. Has anyone heard this? I purchased 1250 seeds from Thomas & Morgan and have started 72 plants. Man those seeds are real small.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd suggest if you're going to have several, to not grow them right next to each other as my impression is that it decreases the unique character of each one's scent.
Pat

Pat is right. Mint reseeds itself and is very bad to cross-pollinate. After a season, it looses its unique flavor and becomes just mint unless you separate it. I'm trying to keep mine pure by keeping it separated by a house.