Mint
Mentha spicata
Lamiaceae · mint family
Origin · Mediterranean · Western Asia
- Matures
- 2–3 months
- Harvest
- Continuous · Perennial
- Sun
- 4–8+ hrs
- Spacing
- 12–24 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● | |
| Sunny | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | |
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
Soil pH
The soil acidity it grows best in — most crops sit just below neutral, so this mostly matters for heavily amended or long-reused beds.
- Preferred range
- pH 6.0–6.5
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 12–24 in
- Between rows
- 12–24 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Low mound
- Mature height
- 1–2 ft
Low and self-supporting — no staking needed.
Growing in containers
Whether it does well in a pot, planter, or window box — the SF balcony-and-deck question, weighing its footprint, form, and staying power, not just root depth.
Happy in a pot, planter, or window box — no garden bed required.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Transplant
Goes in as a rooted start, cutting, or division rather than raised from seed.
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 68°F
- Sow depth
- 0.25 in
- Time to emerge
- 12–16 days
Germinates between 64–72°F; happiest around 68°F.
Watering & feeding
How thirsty and how hungry it is — the water it wants and how much feeding the bed needs to keep it producing. In the fog belt even a thirsty crop drinks less than it would inland.
- Water need
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Wants steady, even moisture — roughly an inch a week, a little more in a heat spell.
A balanced feed worked into the bed at planting usually carries it through the season.
Likes regular water and a moist (not soggy) spot; avoid overwatering, which invites disease. A moderate feeder.
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
Pests3
Aphids
- What it is
- Aphids have soft pear-shaped bodies with long legs and antennae and may be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on the species and the plants they feed on. A few species appear waxy or woolly due to the secretion of a waxy white or gray substance over their body surface.
- What you'll see
- Low to moderate numbers of leaf-feeding aphids aren't usually damaging in gardens or on trees. However, large populations can turn leaves yellow and stunt shoots; aphids can also produce large quantities of a sticky exudate known as honeydew, which often turns black with the growth of a sooty mold fungus.
- What to do
- Before planting vegetables, check surrounding areas for sources of aphids and remove these sources. On the other hand, these aphid-infested weeds can sometimes provide an early source of aphid natural enemies.
Flea Beetle
- What you'll see
- Small, shiny black beetles that chew tiny holes in leaves.
- What to do
- Control with registered insecticides or cover plants in spring with row covers.
Cutworm
- What you'll see
- Larvae feed at or below ground and sever stems of seedlings or plants.
- What to do
- Protect individual plants with a collar or trap, use registered insecticides.
Diseases3
Anthracnose
- What you'll see
- Small water soaked spots on leaves and stems.
- What to do
- Rotate planting areas, remove diseased plants, and prune healthy plants to the ground in fall.
Mint Rust
- What you'll see
- Small whitish, slightly raised spots that turn reddish orange or brown on underside of leaves.
- What to do
- Avoid wet leaves overnight. Use drip irrigation or apply overhead water before mid-day.
Verticillium Wilt
- What you'll see
- Leaf yellowing starting at the margin and they eventually curl up and die.
- What to do
- Rotate planting areas, remove infected plants, and do not over fertilize plants.
Harvest & storage
How to tell it's ready to pick, and how to keep it once it's in.
- Keeps
- DaysBest eaten within a few days of picking.
- Ready to harvest
- Snip leaves or clip stems at the base any time once the plant is going; harvest before flowering for the best flavour.
- Storing
- Refrigerate the cut sprigs and use within about a week; mint also dries well.
Culinary use & nutrition
What it's for in the kitchen, and the nutrients a 100 g raw serving is a notable source of.
In the kitchen
- Seasoning
Nutrition highlights
- Excellent source
- Iron, Manganese, Copper, Folate, Fiber, Vitamin A
- Good source
- Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Riboflavin
Share of the Daily Value in a 100 g raw serving (USDA FoodData Central).
Pollinators & wildlife
What this crop offers the garden's wildlife once it flowers — often the payoff for letting a bolting plant stand.
- Bees
- Honeybees and natives — bumble, mason, and sweat bees — working the flowers for pollen and nectar.
- Beneficial insects
- Hoverflies, lady beetles, and parasitoid wasps that keep aphids and caterpillars down.
Cut back for the kitchen it rarely flowers, but a clump left alone raises pale spikes that bees crowd and that hoverflies and small parasitic wasps feed at too.
Sources
Growing data on this page is drawn from UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM), Utah State University Extension, and the other references on our sources page.