Reasons to grow mint in your garden

[jlynn71]

Other than food, I have read that keeping mint in your garden drives away pests (rodents and others). Does anyone know how true this? Are there any other things that mint would be good for. such as household things, etc?

 

[JGPangi]

As always, the internet is a goldmine. I came across this and this. I think the effectiveness of the insect repellent depends on the variety which you grow.

The argument for (or against) growing mint is that they can take over your garden really quickly and they attract a whole score of other insects to take the place of the ones they repel. I think the best course of action would be to plant complimentary herbs next to each other so they repel each others insects. I have to research more about this, but that's half the fun

 

[firelily99]

Excellent articles, thanks for posting them jlynn71. It does act as a repellent and the medicinal benefits are almost unlimited. I have numerous mint plants and I plant them in areas that they can take over. By rigorous trimming, mint can be controlled.

 

[Abqu]

Other than food, I have read that keeping mint in your garden drives away pests (rodents and others). Does anyone know how true this? Are there any other things that mint would be good for. such as household things, etc?

Mint is a wonderful herb. I plant it because I love a good, fresh mojito in the long hot days of summer. However, be careful, because mint can be invasive and strangle out other plants. I put it in a wooden window box last year, and it it choked out my cilantro in the adjacent box.

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

A word of waring about growing mint. Keep it in a pot. Mint often take over a garden as it sends out shoots everywhere. When cutting my lawn, it always smells like spearmint because there was a plant years ago which grew into the lawn and not it is impossible to get rid of. Fortunately, I like the smell and it does seem to keep a few things away. There are a lot of varieties of mint and I dry the leaves for making mint tea. It is a good hot drink on a summer evening when you don't want caffeine.

 

[BonnieR]

I'm growing mint for the first time because I tried it in water at a party and loved it. Mint is also good for indigestion. I put it in an old claw foot bath tub in my backyard with some strawberries, so hopefully it will be okay. That reminds me, I should probably go make sure that it's not traveling outside of the bathtub. Thanks for the information!

 

[Gardener]

I tried growing mint a few years back, but there's just one problem. It keeps growing back! I get that it is good for you and all that, but it just keeps growing back after I pull the whole plant out (even the roots). I don't however recall reading that anywhere else and the mint in my garden doesn't seem to drive any pests away. I might be special in that way

 

[Abqu]

I'm growing mint for the first time because I tried it in water at a party and loved it. Mint is also good for indigestion. I put it in an old claw foot bath tub in my backyard with some strawberries, so hopefully it will be okay. That reminds me, I should probably go make sure that it's not traveling outside of the bathtub. Thanks for the information!

I'd keep an eye on those strawberries. The mint will strangle them out. Try to make sure they stay in their own little areas, haha.

 

[jlynn71]

As always, the internet is a goldmine. I came across this and this. I think the effectiveness of the insect repellent depends on the variety which you grow.

The argument for (or against) growing mint is that they can take over your garden really quickly and they attract a whole score of other insects to take the place of the ones they repel. I think the best course of action would be to plant complimentary herbs next to each other so they repel each others insects. I have to research more about this, but that's half the fun

Those link are very helpful, thank you. As far as pests, I was unaware that it actually attracts good things to the garden. I know a have read rodents and spiders do not like pepper or mint, so I was thinking it would be a good deterrent for field mice that like to try to take up residence around fall.
I already do drink mint tea and if you boil mint, then freeze the water into ice cubes, pop them into a freezer bag, you can add this to lemonade or whatever year 'round.

 

[LindaKay]

I love the smell as well! It's so wonderful.

I do know that it will spread like crazy. A friend of mine has mint EVERYWHERE in his yard. It has literally taken over.

 

[Rosyrain]

In order to make sure you control it, you can also plant the mint in pots around your garden so it is contained and does not spread to areas you don't want it to. Fresh mint is one of the best herbs ever.

 

[Abqu]

In order to make sure you control it, you can also plant the mint in pots around your garden so it is contained and does not spread to areas you don't want it to. Fresh mint is one of the best herbs ever.

It's invasive, but I can't imagine having a garden without it now. In fact, if there is only one thing I would plant, it would be mint.

 

[Ruth B]

I love all the mints. Just as was said, keep them apart from each other and what you want to 'keep'. I am starting penny royal again this year. I have not tried it in years. I just bought 2 small pots. They have good trailers so I'm hoping to get it started where I can't put anything else, in the mostly shade as they are tender. It makes a good ground cover like a lawn and is one of those that is good 'crushable'. I think I'll put it where the dogs run thru. Perfect. The problem I had with it years before was that it was too sunny and too dry. I also want to repel various things. It's especially important that I keep it away from what I want to eat, as this is not a mint for eating.

 

[ashley rose]

I have had great success with many types of mints, but one thing I have learned NOT to do is to plant them in beds with other veggies or fruits. I would recommend grabbing a few large planters and making those your mint home. The mint will gladly fill in the entire planter and you'll be able to leave it unattended (minus watering). If you plant mint in your garden beds, you'll have to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't strangle or crowd other plants, as prior posters have mentioned. I'm a huge fan of low maintenance gardening, so I keep the invasive types in their own planter home.

 

[alexiskilgannon]

I have never heard of this theory, but it would certainly explain why I never see pests and critters in my garden. The center of my garden is full of mint, growing in full bunches stretching across the entire middle. I have enough mint for an army, so if this theory is true it's no wonder I've never had issues with pests.