Filled with natural healing powers and a refreshing aroma, mint completes every herb garden. In order for the cultivation to be successful, a few fundamental aspects must be heeded. The following instructions answer all questions about the exemplary planting of mint in the hobby garden.

What method of cultivation is there?

In order to be able to plant strong young plants in beds or pots, experienced hobby gardeners grow mint indoors by sowing. Sow the fine seeds in lean, moist substrate in the first weeks of March. The light germs are not covered with soil. You can look forward to the first seedlings after 10-14 days at a partially shaded window seat at a temperature of around 20 degrees.

Which conditions at the site are advantageous?

Choose a semi-shady, sheltered spot in the bed and on the balcony for mint. The blazing midday sun impairs the lush growth just as much as the pounding rain and cold drafts.

What should the soil and substrate be like?

If you grow mint in nutrient-rich, fresh-moist soil, it will happily put out its roots here. For planting in the pot, we recommend loose, airy herbal soil, enriched with compost, horn shavings, (32.93€) perlite (37.51€) and sand. Good drainage of the substrate is essential, so commercial potting soil is unsuitable for growing mint.

When is mint planting time?

Regardless of their hardy constitution, young mints should not be exposed to freezing temperatures. The window for cultivation opens in mid-May, when the threat of delayed ground frosts has passed.

How is the planting going?

The young plants you have grown yourself or bought ready-made are placed in a container with water with the still potted root ball until no more air bubbles rise. The next steps are as follows:

  • weed and rake the soil thoroughly
  • Create planting pits with twice the volume of the root ball
  • optimize the excavation with sifted compost, horn shavings and sand
  • Unpot the mint and plant it in the middle as deep as before

To give the young plants more stability, stick wooden sticks into the ground. Finally, pour generously. Mint is best cultivated in a bucket if you spread a drainage made of potsherds over the bottom opening and only then fill in the substrate.

How far apart should mint be planted?

In view of a growth height of 60 to 90 centimeters and a sprawling habit, a planting distance of 50 centimeters is considered appropriate.

How does mint propagate?

Sowing, cuttings and offshoots are recommended for breeding. Cuttings have proven to be particularly practical because you can plant them directly in the bed.

tips and tricks

Mint provides a bountiful harvest of aromatic leaves throughout the season. Just before the flowering period begins in June, the leaves are particularly tasty. If you now cut back all the branches to a hand's width above the ground, you can look forward to another harvest time in late summer.

GTH

Category:

Vegetable garden