Mint – Controlling an Invasive Specie

Every season we hear complaints about mint: “my mint took over my whole garden” or “I grew mint once and now I can’t get rid of it” and “mint is an invasive specie, I would never plant it again”! But fresh mint is too special to write off completely!

If you love mint but hate its growth habits, there are lots of ways to control it. So try one of these methods and get back to loving the taste of fresh mint!

• Plant mint at the edge of your property or at the back of it as an edging. It doesn’t mind shade so if you have a wooded property, mint would be a perfect addition!
• Plant mint in a pot! Get a large decorative container and plant it for your patio. The scent on a warm breezy day is tantalizing! An added bonus is that it is always nearby to clip when needed for those cold summer drinks!
• Plant mint in a pot and bury it in your garden. If you are set on having mint as part of your herb garden, plant it in a larger pot and then plant in the ground.  The pot will help contain the roots and runners that are so invasive.
• Plant a mint garden! Embrace the prolific growth of this invasive specie and plant several varieties (Sweet Valley Herbs has many to choose from!)

Mint is a staple of all herb gardens, whether indoors or outdoors. It is used for flavouring foods such as ice cream and desserts, in seasonings or sauces, on meats or added to salads for a fresh kick.

Mint also has many medicinal benefits such as stress relief and is used in body products to improve breathing, teeth and gum health and digestion.

While it may be considered an invasive specie, we hope this gives you some ideas to control its growth habits and begin to enjoy it once again!