Mint

So, I had tried starting mint inside, and thought I had killed it. I just checked it again, and there are still very small plants growing. I am petrified I will killl them off for good this time. What do I do? They're planted in a seed starter flat, but I lost the top to it....any ideas?

Kristie

Hi Kristie,

I'm in zone 5 too and I planted my spearmint from seed directly in the ground in the spring over 3 years ago and I literally have to yank the new growth every spring for fear it overtakes the bed. It is a nuisance plant for me and many other people, because it can be invasive and it sends up new plants each year. I haven't grown the chocolate mint or other mint varieties, just the spearmint and that is incredibly hardy.

As far as the tops of the seed starters, I only use mine for the first 3-5 days and then I never put it on again. Everyone uses them differently, but that's just my 2 cents.

If you can't get yours to grow for some reason, I'll be more than happy to send you some of mine, but just don't blame me if it overtakes your garden!!! ;)

D-mail me if you are interested and please remind me you are the one looking for the mint.

Thanks!

Megan

Oh boy! I wanted spearmint too! I'm not extremely worried about it taking over because my soon to be herb garden is away from everything else(not even in my "yard"). Also, I get bored and wait for weeds to pop up so I can pull them, so I might enjoy pulling up extra plants....lol Thanks, I'll have to dmail you once I figure out how. Mine is just regular mint...I'm assuming that's different than spearmint? I made a wagon wheel herb garden with 8 sections in it...I want a different herb in each.....

Kristie

Lafko06 is right on about all the mints being very invasive! They spread by underground stolens and show up all over. Think invasive underground vine and you will get the picture. I put mine in a large pot and planted the pot and all which I had read was suppose to contain it and which helped some but it still spread and I yank bunches of it up that has spread through all my other herbs every year.

Spearmint is the most common mint planted if you plan to use it as it is not as overpowering in flavor as some of the others. The chocolate one has darker somewhat chocolate looking pretty leaves but basically just tastes minty. When the package just says mint not sure which one you are getting.

That said, the mint is very nice in tea, salads, some ethnic dishes or as a garnish.
You might want to try just one mint first and an annual herb for your other choice instead of another mint this year and see if you really are willing to spend that much time pulling the strays first.

Your wagon wheel herb garden sounds like a really neat idea. Some herbs are very pretty such as the purple ruffled basil are so pretty that gardeners mix it in their flower beds. Another way to go if find there are other herbs you want and ran out of space in your wagon wheel.

Thanks for the info! I read about the wagon wheel thing in a book....hopefully it turns out ok. Thanks

Kristie

I have read that mint adds something good to your soil, and so I have started leaving mine among the flowers in my big beds until it gets stupid. Then it gets yanked. It's only in that one area and can't get out of those bounds, so I think the rest of the world is safe. ; ^ } I had one tiny patch and I thought I had it all out before the yard was tilled that very first year. But I've had mint everywhere ever since. I grew some chocolate mint in a pot one year, but did not bury the pot and it stayed where it belonged.

Ok, well, I thought my mint had come back to life...but now it looks like its dying off again. What do I do? I had replanted more veggies since I had killed my first batch(moment of silence) and have been taking them outside during nice days and bringing them in at night. Since they hadn't even sprouted yet, I went from one day in partly shady to full sunlight. I stuck my poor mint with it. Now it seems to be dying again....its like the sprouts just disappear, then if I shove them in a darker place inside for awhile, they start sprouting again, but they never grow! They're very small, right on the top of the dirt. What's going on? What do I do? I don't want to kill my mint!!!! Help!!!

Kristie

I started my (pepper)mint from seed a few years ago. Knowing that it was hardy, and little else, I direct seeded a planter. It came up, but looked a little sick. I fussed over it a little while but it didn't get better. It didn't take off until late summer when it got so pretty I harvested it nearly to the soil surface.

This year, it is back with a vengance. It is so lush and leafy I have been giving starter clumps to neighbors passing by.

My advice, neglect it. In fact, by letting it get dry on occasion, it gets "mintier".

Enjoy your herbs Kristie!

Thanks so much! I have been neglecting it...its still in the starter flat...they're still small, but I've noticed they're starting to get a second set of leaves on it. I've been leaving the flat outside to get full sun....once they get a little bigger, I'll transplant them. I really hope they make it....I love mint!

Kristie

HI all you mint fans, I have to tell you that within 6 or 7 years, your whole garden will be covered in mint, even your lawn, you can yank it up in clumps the size of tennise courts if you like, but you wont get rid of it, is is a lovely herb and as someone already said, can be added to so many dishes, another way it spreads is by the birds, they peck at the small tender new shoots, and drop bits, so before you can say mint tea, you have another area that is going to be covered in mint. You are right, it does spread by underground shoots, as one of you have already discovered, it will even find it's way through pavers etc.
I do grow mine in a large pot, this is sunk into the herb garden,upto an inch below the top of the pot, BUT, as I do a tidy up at the end of the season, I lift the pot out, check/remove any roots or top runners hanging out of the pot, and yank them off, then replace the pot into the herb bed, in two years time, you can still give your friends some as you will have to split up the pot as it fills, always watch where you throw away the bits you pull up as no matter where it ends up, bits will regrow, and NOT EVERYONE will be happy to have this ivasion set upon them. when we have roast lamb here in UK, it is almost always served with boiled minted baby potatoes, or a mint sause made by chopping the mint, marinaded in a viniger and everyone spoons it onto the roast lamb, you can also freeze your herbs when picking them, chop them into ice cube blocks and freeze with a litle water, then store them in small frezzer bags, when in short supply in winter, you have fresh herbs at hand, and much nicer than the dried ones you buy.
Great garnish for summer fruits also.
Happy gardening. WeeNel.

Thanks for the info on the invasiveness of mint, weenel. But, don't worry...so far I haven't planted any in the ground. I will probably keep them in pots, like you said. Also, I live on a dead end road with a huge asphalt turnaround by my herb garden. On the other side of that is a river and other rampant weedy things and trees. Not to mention once I get all my planting and watering done, I tend to sit around and wait for weeds to pop up so I have something to do. Not that I've been weeding lately, but I think I'd probably sit around and wait for my mint to run astray.

Oh, and an update on my "herb garden". I've planted four sections....only two have come up so far. Thyme and dill. My mint is doing really good now, its actually getting bigger instead of being dwarfed. Oh, and I've started some spearmint as well. Oh, the two other sections I planted that haven't come up are chives and parsley...for some reason I can't grow chives. I tried last year too....I thought herbs were supposed to be easy!

Kristie

Sometimes when I need herbs that I have not got in my garden, I buy ones in little pots of soil from the grocery store, as I only need a few sprigs, I then pop the rest into the garden and most will grow on for me instead of wilting in the house, Not all herbs are perennial, so you have to plant each year, that gives you a chence to rearange your planting scheem if you like. if it says easy, you can bet you will struggle, if it says difficult, you will have no probs, well that's my experiance any way, ha, ha, ha, good herbing. WeeNel.

LOL, WeeNel....yes, that sounds exactly like my gardening experiences.....I always screw up the easiest things! Good herbing to you too!

Kristie

Hey Kristie,

Don't sweat your chives and parsley. Some herbs seem to grow like weeds for me, basil, dill, fennel, mint. While others have taken some patience to get to know such as rosemary, sage, chives, cilantro/parsley. You can always buy a plant and propagate it that way.

What river are you close to in Champaign? I lived in Monticello, Illinois for several years and remember the pathetic Sangamon river but I don't remember a river in Champaign. We spent a lot of time in Champaign since there wasn't much to do in Monticello and my daughter was born there.

Jeff

Jeff,
I actually live in Villa Grove, I generally use Champaign's zip because VG is so small. So, I live next to the mighty Embarras...

Ah, that it explains it. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten a whole river...

LOL...you don't remember that huge river right in the middle of Champaign?

No, not at all.... I remember the campus and a Thai restaurant we used to like... Remember a movie theater south of town...

lol. Unfortunately, I'm bad with directions and only know Walmarts, the Mall, and Steak and Shakes...a few various other things....that's about it.

Well, I'd also planted some herbs in pots...it looks like I have some tarragon sprouting and some spearmint...and maybe lavender. I also planted sage and rosemary,so far nothing. Those were in your hard to grow list, Jeff, so who knows. I noticed on the rosemary seed packet it said, "needs some shade". Does this mean for germination, growing, or both? Do you think moving it to a more shady spot would help?

Kristie

With Rosemary and Sage, I found that they wouldn't germinate when I tried them the same as other seeds. They seem to like cool temperatures to germinate. I had luck getting them to sprout by putting them in my cool dark garage. Even then I only got about a dozen to sprout out of a packet of seeds. You may be better off buying those two at a nursery. I read that they are often propagated with cuttings instead of seed.

Jeff

Hmmmm...thanks Jeff. I'll try sticking them in the garage for awhile(in a inconspicuous spot....hubby's domain). Maybe I'll have better luck!

Kristie

I have a peppermint and so far since I have clay soil it hasnt been invasive. I also have a chocolate mint but I got that two weeks ago so it hasnt been invasive yet. I transplanted it(the peppermint) twice and its a trooper. When does it ( the choc mint)send out rhizomes-seeds? I saw something popping up with my mater so i pulled them up but it I think it had a minty smell to it. If I had known it was mint not a weed I would have left it there.

Hi, Kristie. I haven't read every detail of this thread, so pardon me if I repeat something already said. Congratulations on your herb garden. I think the wagon wheel garden is a cool idea. I am pretty new to herbs myself but have grown some in the past few years. So far my favorite herbs to grow and use are cilantro and basil. I don't have a stellar green thumb but these have grown well for me in various conditions. If your parsley and chives don't work out, and you want to try something else, you could consider those two...if you like cilantro and basil, that is! I love Mexican and Italian cuisine, so these two herbs help me make the most of my garden produce, especially my tomatoes and green peppers. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to use them in fresh salsa and marinara sauces. I can't guarantee anything, but they've grown well for me. Since you and I live in similar climates, I thought maybe they'd grow well for you, too. Good luck with whatever you plant!

Thanks Easterlily. The parsley did make it, but the chives were a no go. Cilantro is a great idea! I want to make salsa, and I love cilantro in it. Is cilantro perennial in our area? Thanks for the encouragement!

Kristie

Hey, Kristie. Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been out of town for a couple of weeks, so haven't been online for awhile. As far as I know, it's just an annual, but it will produce a ton of seeds if you let it flower. I actually just made salsa today! Unfortunately, my cilantro isn't ready to harvest yet nor are my tomatoes, so I had to use store-bought produce. I can't wait to use fresh from the garden tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro! There's nothing better. Do you have a recipe or have you made it before? There are lots of versions of salsa, but if you want mine, I'll be glad to share it.

Easter_lily,
I'd love your recipe. I have not found one yet that I like enough to keep making, so I keep trying. I don't know if it's proper to post to the list, but I don't see why not, it _is_ about vegetables....
Margo

Hi, Margo. Sorry about your long and disappointing search for a satisfying salsa! Now I'm feeling the pressure to deliver a good recipe! :) I'm not very systematic when I experiment in the kitchen and haven't quantified many of my "recipes," so I'm afraid all I really have to give you are a list of ingredients and some loose instructions on how I put it all together.

*If I have good fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes with lots of flavor:
-5-6 medium to large size tomatoes
-about 1/3 to 1/2 onion or the equivalent in green onions (even better!)
-1 medium to large size garlic clove
-about a tablespoon of olive oil
-1 of your favorite peppers (I've used everything from bell peppers to anaheim to poblano to jalapenos -- just depends on how hot you want it)
-a large handful of cilantro leaves
-the juice from 1/2 a lime
-salt and pepper to taste
-if using a mild pepper like a green bell pepper, you can make minute adjustments to the heat of your salsa more easily by adding dashes of ground red (cayenne) pepper
I chop everything in my electric chopper (which is tedious because it is so small) but a food processor would be much easier if I had one! If using a small chopper like mine, you might find it's best to add the olive oil in with the cilantro to aid with the chopping. You may want to chop or process the tomatoes, peppers, and/or onions separately from the other ingredients because the garlic and cilantro will probably require more chopping/processing than you want the other ingredients to endure. It's up to you what consistency you want. I like the consistency to be saucier rather than chunkier because the flavors blend together better. With really fresh juicy tomatoes, sometimes you get TOO much juice, so you may want to chop by hand and discard any unwanted liquid.

*If using less-than-desirable store-bought tomatoes, you can use 3 or 4 of those and add a couple 10 oz. cans of Rotel's diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained. (I prefer the "milder" because their standard version is pretty intense.) The canned tomatoes add a lot of flavor when it's needed, but the addition of fresh tomatoes helps balance out the "vinegary" taste.

It's been awhile since I made salsa from the good fresh stuff, so I hope I told you correctly. I would feel terrible if you wasted your efforts on my poor instructions! So...good luck and enjoy your salsa! Let me know if you have any success.

Thanks easter_lily!
That's exactly the kind of "recipe" I do best with *s*. It makes it much easier to tweak it this way, and I don't feel guilty that I didn't do it "right". I just happen to have everything you mention (even green onions) on hand, so today may be the day. Not sure how many tomatoes I have to use, but I should be able to find enough.
Thanks for taking the time to do this, I will let you know how it comes out,

Margo

Good luck, Margo! I am impressed that you already have all those ingredients on hand! Either you have one nice garden or are pretty efficient at keeping your pantry and refrigerator stocked! You know...you can be brutally honest if it doesn't work out. I can handle it. :) Hope you enjoy it!

*G* Tomatoes and peppers are from the garden, but I had the stuff because I wanted to make salsa as soon as I had enough tomatoes. Meaning as soon as I could keep myself from eating them all. Tomorrow should be the day now...some of them aren't quite ripe enough.
Margo