I am putting in a new bed for herbs. I'd like to include mint, of course, and bee balm. Since they both want to own the world, however, I need to limit them. I have read of burying "bottomless" pots to plant mint in. Has anyone done this? Does it work? How deep do I need to with this barrier?
Any help appreciated!
(Also, any thoughts on your idea of the perfect soil mix for herbs since I will be buying a good bit for this new bed).
Thanks.
To corral mint: how deep of a barrier?
Yes I've grown mint successfully in partly buried pots. Actually I used an old two gallon plasic bucket. Just cut the bottom out; bury so that the top couple of inches protrude above ground; fill to the ouside soil level; insert your mint. Keep it well watered.
Thanks so much. That was just the kind of practical advice I was hoping for!
Mint will "over grow" or sneak out under any container less than 300 feet deep--LOL--
It is a very unruly "child"--
Plant it in hanging basket to contain it
Hmmm. 300 feet is a LITTLE deeper than I have the energy to dig! But I have feared that the bottomless pot effort might be only temporary. Maybe it will slow it down enough for me to keep up. :) Thanks
I planted mint in the holes in concrete blocks set about an inch into the ground. It is sneaking out after two years - but at least it slowed it down!
a cat - maybe that is the best answer: plant it in a bottomless pot, but the pot basically sits on top of the ground. Thanks.
I had mint in a clay pot buried in the ground. It went through the watering hole. I had to dig it out sift through the soil with my hand to get all the roots. I now keep my mint in a pot on my deck! I take it in each winter.
I have mint in a fiberglass urn on the front porch and it dies off in the winter and comes back in the spring.
So it is sounding like controlling plants in the mint family is close to impossible. Hmmm. I can see doing the fiberglass pot thing for the culinary mint. But I really would like to grow Bee Balm (I have 3 cultivars) in a mixed border. I guess I can ditch any thoughts of using the plastic landscape edging to "define" where I want the Bee Balm to be. I suppose it would laugh hysterically while "walking" over that little edge. :)
And it snorts when it laughs. Hmph.
I hate it when plants snort!! Like Smilax vine (catbrier) when you cut it back or spray Round up on it. There is no effect; nothing slows it down except to dig down to the earth's core where the enormous tuber resides. :)
A fiberglass urn sounds like a good idea. My mint is in a clay pot that I take in every winter. I am in zone 6a. I wonder if I could put it in a fiberglass pot and leave it outside. I may try that this year.
Off thread a bit, but while I love the look and "feel" of clay pots, even the nice Italian ones end up being damaged if left out over the winter. So I have been moving to fiberglass. Some of the new ones are really pretty. But to solve my Bee Balm "in the border" issue, I would need an irregular shaped, really big one!
I agree!