How to Keep Mint From Spreading

Harvest mint for mint tea

Don't be afraid to plant garden mint. You can keep mint contained and keep mint from spreading all over your garden by following a few simple guidelines. Plant a mint garden and harvest mint for mint julep, mint tea and fresh mint all summer long.

Things You'll Need

• 5-gallon bucket
• Potting soil
• Mint plant
• Jig saw

Instructions

1. Cut off the bottom of the 5-gallon bucket using the jig saw or whatever other powerful cutting tool you have.

2. Dig a 12- to 18-inch hole in the garden and place the bucket down into the hole. Keep the rim of the bucked 1/2 inch above ground level. Mint roots are made of "runners" that sprout up new mint plants at a remarkable rate. This is what makes garden mint invasive.

3. Refill the hole around the bucket with garden soil and fill the bucket with potting soil. Pack it in tightly and place the mint seeds or starts in the center. Since mint roots only go down 10 to 12 inches, the plastic sides of the bucket will keep the mint from growing outside of this circle.

4. Snip the tops of each stem to harvest mint and the more you trim it the fuller it will grow. Mint grows all summer long and comes have year after year. If unconfined, it can quickly fill a large area. Containing it in this way allows you to grow mint alongside other useful herbs.

Tips & Warnings

• Harvest mint in the cool morning, so that the leaves don't wilt in the sun.

• Mint tea can be made with any variety of mint.

• Some people are allergic to mint. If your skin becomes irritated after handling mint, wash your hands, wear gloves in the garden and don't allow the mint to come into contact with your skin.