How To Stop Mint Getting Out Of Hand?

[elvisish]

I've got a little herb garden, and I love mint but it always engulfs all the free space in the herb garden until mint is all I have! As I said, I love mint but not this much!
So I wondered whats the best way to keep mint from going wild? Or is it just a case of cutting it back all the time?

 

[Chuck]

I've got a little herb garden, and I love mint but it always engulfs all the free space in the herb garden until mint is all I have! As I said, I love mint but not this much!
So I wondered whats the best way to keep mint from going wild? Or is it just a case of cutting it back all the time?

I only know of 5 ways. One is to grow it in deep bottomless containers. Two, is to place a deep underground barrier against the roots. Three is to grow in large above ground containers. Four is to keep on cutting it back and pulling it up. Five is to get a goat

 

[CanadianLori]

6. Is to invite me to take care of it - in ground herbs do not like me- even lavender died on me!

 

[Beth_B]

Ha. Since mint has a wide-spreading root system, merely cutting it back might encourage more root growth and spreading. (Not sure about this....)
I have some in containers, and some that grows along my fence....I just have what spreads into the grass mowed and leave the rest. It's pernicious stuff for sure.

 

[CanadianLori]

Yes, but mice and rats hate it...

 

[ChanellG]

I keep my mint in containers. It's the only way to really control it. As it fills up the container you can divide so that it continually has space to spread, but it grows on runners under the soil so unless you contain it somehow...

 

[claudine]

Haha, Chuck, I love the fifth advice
Mint is a spreader, it can take over any space. Personally, I always grow it in pots.

 

[Corzhens]

Yes, mint is very prolific. It will grow long stems that will stick to the ground when it grows roots in that stem. So the mint looks like a crawler. Our mint is planted in the planter box beside the miracle berry which is a small plant. The other day, I noticed the mint stepping on the territory of the miracle berry so I uprooted the crawling branches. That is how we control the mint, uproot and leave only the desired number of branches.

 

[elvisish]

6. Is to invite me to take care of it - in ground herbs do not like me- even lavender died on me!

Haha! sorry to hear that

I will probably have to grow it in large containers and put them in the herb garden, sounds like the only way to do it! As I do love mint, but not this much!

 

[MMathis]

In my experience, either pull it up, or keep it containers that will confine the roots. Cutting it back usually encourages more growth.

Also, some mints can be more or less invasive than others. Not an expert, but do know (been-there and still doing-that!) that (what I believe to be) chocolate mint is HIGHLY invasive!

 

[Fernsdaddy]

I cut the bottom out of a deep pot and place in the ground and then plant my mint, it slows the mint down to where it won't grow all over the place fast.

 

[Trellum]

I once tried growing mint in a small patch, big mistake. Don't do it, keep it contained in a pot, that is the safest way... don't complicate yourself and just do that Because I know how invasive mint can be, almost as invasive as purple heart plants... So seriously, just keep it in a pot.

 

[arthnel]

I'm sure by now you've got some great answers and I tell you these are all correct. I find myself chuckling at the goat solution from an earlier post. Roots of mint are actually referred to as runners and there-in lies the problem. The runners create this extensive network underground and wherever they go more mint pops up above, taking over your garden. That's why it's recommended you put containers deep in the ground to prevent runners from spreading, or planting mint in a pot. If you utilize mint very often go for a slightly larger pot, while if it's just for use now and then a small one will come in handy.

 

[MichelleVL]

Thanks for the advise guys. I actually have the same mint problem. The house I just rented had 2 mint bushes when I got there, and they are driving me nuts. I want to keep them, as I am also starting my first veggie garden, now I know what to do with them.

 

[alhamdulillah_]

I keep my mint in containers. It's the only way to really control it. As it fills up the container you can divide so that it continually has space to spread, but it grows on runners under the soil so unless you contain it somehow...

This is what I've always thought too.
Just always plant it in a seperate pot/container.