Mint
Mentha spicata
Lamiaceae · mint family
- Matures
- 70–80 days
- 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 | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
<2 hrsNot suited
2–4 hrsMarginal
4–6 hrsWell-suited
6–8 hrsWell-suited
8+ hrsWell-suited
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
6–10"Well-suited
10–15"Well-suited
15–18"Well-suited
18–24"Well-suited
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
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.
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
Direct-sowMarginal
TransplantWell-suited
Goes in as a rooted start, cutting, or division rather than raised from seed.
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
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.
30°F110°F
IdealWorkable
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.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, Marin Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight, startMethod · UC Marin MG Mint grow sheet (coastal Bay Area): 'Plant young seedlings after danger of frost has passed' (spring set-out) and 'Plant in areas that have full to part sun' (sunlight; unlike the Mediterranean herbs, mint takes real part shade, so 2-4 hrs = maybe rather than no). 'Water mint judiciously. Mint does not care for soggy soils' — mint is a moisture-loving, cool-tolerant perennial, so it thrives in foggy SF and the foggy month map is as broad as the sunny one (both open spring-through-fall). Month split inferred from set-out season, not month-sourced. Start method: UC Marin MG mint: 'Some mints set seed and some mints are sterile hybrids. Spearmint seed is available while peppermint is a sterile hybrid grown only from cuttings.' and 'Plant young seedlings after danger of frost has passed.' Goes in as a rooted plant or cutting, not raised under cover from seed — hence no lead time, and seed rated marginal since it fails outright for the sterile types.
- UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM)backs plantingWindow, sunlight · UC Statewide IPM 'Cultural Tips for Growing Mint': North/North Coast planting 'March-April', South Coast 'April-June', 'seeds can be started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost in spring' (corroborates the spring-onward window). 'Mint grows best if the plant receives full sun to partial shade (at least 4 to 6 hours a day)' (sunlight; part-shade tolerant). 'Keep the root zone moist' confirms the moisture preference behind the broad foggy window.
- Johnny's Selected Seedsbacks daysToMaturity · Common Mint (Mentha) product spec from a horticulture-staffed seed house: '70 - 80 days' to maturity (daysToMaturity), germination '10-14 days'. As a spreading perennial mint fills in and is usually grown from divisions/cuttings, so treat 70-80 as an approximate first-harvest window.
- NC State Extension — Plant Toolboxbacks sunlight, soilDepth, inRowSpacing, lifecycle, harvestStyle, rowSpacing, growthHabit · Mentha spicata (spearmint) entry: 'Full sun' and 'Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)' (corroborates part-shade tolerance; 2-4 hrs = maybe). '1 to 2 feet high and wide', 'Creeping, Erect, Multi-stemmed, Spreading'; 'The square stems can root wherever they touch the ground and it also spreads by rhizomes' -> a shallow-rooted surface spreader, so all depth bands 6-10 through 18-24 = yes (soilDepth). 'Available Space To Plant: 12 inches-3 feet' (inRowSpacing 12-24, though mint spreads to fill). 'does not do well in dry soils', 'prefers moist soils' corroborates the moisture preference. Non-CA extension, agronomy only. Habit and harvest: perennial, continuous — a spreading rhizomatous perennial whose leaves are cut repeatedly through the season. Between-row spacing is taken equal to the in-row figure: this crop is spaced about equally in all directions and the source gives a single spacing, not a distinct row width. Growth habit: '1 to 2 feet high and wide' (height 12-24 in) with form 'Creeping, Erect, Multi-stemmed, Spreading' — a low rhizomatous mat that roots where stems touch and needs no support; classed low-mound (low and spreading) despite the 'Erect' descriptor.
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)backs germination · RHS mint: germinate at ~68°F, about two weeks. US extensions recommend vegetative propagation and omit mint seed specifics; 64/72 band around the single temp.
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany · Garden mint is most often spearmint; peppermint is the hybrid M. x piperita.
- Utah State University Extensionbacks plantingDepth · USU Extension mint page: 'Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and then thin seedlings once they emerge.' (Mint is usually grown vegetatively; seed depth given for the seed-sown case.)