Like almost all herbs grown in the garden for their essential oils, you need to be very careful when fertilizing peppermint. Too much or the wrong fertilizer prevents the formation of enough aromatic substances. It is better to provide nutrient soil before planting.

Be careful when fertilizing peppermint

Although peppermint needs nutrient-rich soil, the wrong fertilizer and the wrong time to fertilize will affect the quality of the leaves. They form much less aroma and develop an unpleasant aftertaste.

Prepare the soil well before sowing

If you prepare the soil well before seeding or planting peppermint, you won't have to worry about fertilizing.

Loosen the soil well. Mix in some sand to very firm soil to make it lighter and prevent waterlogging. Work in mature compost or mature manure. This means that the plant is sufficiently supplied for several years.

In autumn you can put a light covering of leaves or fir branches over the plant as winter protection and thus increase the supply of nutrients.

Only use organic fertilizers

Since you use peppermint leaves in the kitchen, you should only use organic fertilizers if necessary. Particularly suitable are:

  • nettle manure
  • horn shavings
  • horn meal
  • Well seasoned compost
  • Mature manure from the previous year

The best time to fertilize

In the case of depleted soils, a light fertilizer application in the spring makes sense. Spread some mature compost around the plant and work it in lightly with a rake.

Additional fertilization with nettle manure can be done in early summer and after flowering.

Under no circumstances should you fertilize peppermint before winter. This makes the plant susceptible to root system diseases. In addition, it then no longer necessarily survives very low temperatures.

Do not harvest peppermint immediately after fertilizing

When fertilizing, keep in mind that you cannot harvest the peppermint immediately afterwards. You should wait at least two weeks before picking the leaves.

tips and tricks

Peppermint in the pot you need to supply nutrients more often. The earth in the bucket is drained faster. Just replace some of the soil in spring.

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Category:

Vegetable garden