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Set Up a Mint Herb GardenMint is a great herb for your culinary needs. Read this easy guide on how to go minty on your garden, and eventually, on your dishes. Many variations of mint exist, the best known of which are peppermint and spearmint. These two are often undifferentiated and are both called and known as mint. Existing varieties include golden apple mint or orange mint. It is best to plant the kind that is available in your location or the type of mint that you like best.
Both types of mint are also known as hardy perennials. Once a seed of these herbs are planted in one area it will grow and spread continuously on its own. Shallow-rooted and large in height, peppermint (Mentha piperita) contains huge purplish leaves and square stems. This perennial spreads at a fast pace. Spearmint’s flowers have lavender tinge and terminal spikes. They bloom amply during most of its season. The herb’s height reaches about three feet tall on its full growth.
Meanwhile, spearmint (M. spicata) has square stems similar to peppermint. The leaves are deeply veined and are a bit curled and its flowers range from light purple to white in color. These flowers grow spikes that are two to four inches in length. Early summer up to fall is the growing season of this herb. In full growth, this perennial can grow up to two feet.
Golden apple mint is another type of mint in existence. This variation of mint has a more delicate taste compared to spearmint. The herb has pale purple flowers and contains dark green leaves with touches of gold. The delicate orange-like smell exuded by the orange mint (at times called bergamot mint) is where it acquired its popularity. The herb contains lavender tinged flowers and reddish green leaves fused with purple on its ends.
The different types of mint are best planted from the root as compared to being grown from the seeds. This will enable them to exhibit their original flavors. Due to its profuseness, the mint plant has a tendency to wander off all over the garden. The best control to use for this herb is to utilize a container for each mint herb to make sure their roots is in place. This is the usual method used to keep the mint’s roots from spreading throughout the garden.
Both peppermint and spearmint are not particular with the soil they are planted into; although they prefer the sunniest spot in the garden, but slightly shaded areas will also be fine. It is best to cultivate the soil with sufficiently distributed fertilizer (one pound per 100 square feet) before planting the spearmint. Peppermint, on the other hand, is a different case; fertilizer should not be added before growing them. They grow as profusely without them.
While
it is true that all types of mint can be planted anytime during its season
Verticillium wilt and mint rust are some of the diseases that can easily harm mints. You can prevent this by removing the dead stems and leaves before the winter season arrives. Article Tags: Mint Herb Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHORMy name is Vicky Josephino. I'm a writer and herb garden enthusiast living just outside of Long Beach, CA. Mostly, I spend my days either buried in my laptop or tinkering the organic garden I've set up a decade ago. I can confidently say that in that amount of time, I've learned about what works (and what doesn't) as far as herb gardening is concerned. And as it goes, you can find those years of herb knowledge and experience in my free email course. I offer you great techniques for growing your herb garden the right way.
For more advice about tending a mint garden, as well as more tips on growing herbs for profit, check out my articles and free e-course at http://www.herbgardeningguides.com/. 
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