Gardening Tips

The two most commonly grown mints are peppermint and spearmint, due to the fact that they are the most useful in the kitchen. They are used to garnish foods, with vegetable and meat dishes, and for many iced drinks. Spearmint is known botanically as Mentha Spicta and Peppermint as Mentha Piperita. Both like moist soil at all times and are among the few herbs that can be grown in containers with no drainage. Both plants grow from one to three feet tall but should have their tops pinched back to keep them at a maximum of ten inches indoors. I prefer bushy pots about seven to eight inches tall.

A good exposure would be a west window or at the side of a south window where it gets two or three hours of sun daily. Turn the pots often to give all sides of the plant even exposure. This can be done by turning the pot about ne-fourth everytime it is watered. New plants can be started from seed or by taking cuttings that will root in water or a mixture of one-half  sand and one-half peat moss.

Your supply can also be increased by dividing the plants. Mint should always be grown in its own pot, due to the fact that underground growth is difficult to control. In the garden, it will send runners in all directions and eventually grow out of its bounds. The soil mixture should contain equal parts sand, soil,  and peat moss, with one half cup of dried cow manure added to a quart of the mixture.

The are many other mints that are delightful to smell but are not used often in the kitchen. One of my favorites is apple mint, which smells and tastes like its namesake. Eau-De-Cologne mint is another and with a name like that it should smell wonderful,as it does, of fresh lemon.