Mint (Mentha) is the most familiar of all herbs and one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors.
You can grow your mint at home successfully and have a supply of fresh mint leaves year-round!
Want to grow more herbs indoors? Check out the Guide to grow an indoor herb garden on your kitchen windowsill.
Indoor Mint Plant Care
This plant care guide will teach you how to grow and care for your indoor mint plants.
Common Mint Varieties
There are many different varieties of mint to try. Each one of these edible plants has its own distinctive taste.
Spearmint, Menta spicata, is the most common mint variety and the mint type that is most often found in the grocery store. Spearmint is a wonderful addition to salads and tomato dishes.
Peppermint, Mentha piperita, is also widely known and used. It’s a bit more pungent and peppery than spearmint. Peppermint is usually available as plants or seeds at local nurseries or garden centers.
There are other mint varieties that smell like fruits. Like the sweet-scented Mentha rotundifolia or Apple Mint. Or the Mentha suaveolens, which is a Pineapple mint. You can also find aromatic lime or lemon mints.
Indoor Mint Plants and Sunlight
Mint grows well in a pot in a sunny window. It’s a perfect herb to grow in your kitchen windowsill garden.
It likes about 6 hours of sun, but could grow in partial shade.
When mint is grown in low light, growth will slow down, and stems can get leggy.
On the other hand, too much direct light can burn the leaves. Filter harsh sunlight with something like a sheer curtain on hot days.
Rotate the pot regularly to make sure your mint plant gets adequate light on all sides and grows evenly.
How Often to Water Mint Indoors
Be sure to frequently water your mint plants at home. Mint likes growing in moist soil.
Keep the soil damp but not soggy. Typically you will water your indoor mint plants about 2 times per week. This could be daily in hot summer weather.
Never let the soil of your mint plant dry out completely.
To find out if it is time to water, stick your finger into the top inch of the soil. If it feels moist, don’t water but wait a day and check again. If the soil feels dry, go ahead and water thoroughly using tepid water.
To make sure your plant is getting a good soak, you can opt to water from the bottom.
In winter, growth slows down. During this time water your mint plant less, still making sure not to let the soil dry out too much.
Leaves shriveling and wilting are usually a sign of underwatering. Revive your mint plant with a good soak.
Droopy, yellow leaves on your mint are usually a sign of overwatering. Reduce your watering frequency.
Mint likes Humidity
Mint plants like a humid environment. At home, you will most likely need to take some action to raise the humidity around your herb plants.
You can occasionally mist your mint. This will temporarily up the humidity.
You can also group herb plants together, away from radiators, or put your plant on a tray with water and pebbles in such a way that the bottom of the pot doesn’t touch the water. The water will evaporate and raise the humidity around your plant.
Another option is to purchase a small humidifier to help you with the humidity.
Keeping the humidity high is especially important in winter when the heaters go on and the air indoors is usually drier.
Brown, crispy leaf tips are a sign that your mint plant needs more humidity.
Growing Mint Indoors in Pots
Outdoors, when given the space, mint grows like a weed and spreads very quickly.
To grow mint without it taking over the entire garden, you should plant them in large clay pots. Sink the pots into the ground. Be sure that at least an inch of the pot sticks out above the ground. Otherwise, the plant will likely just grow over the edge of the pot and still spread and invade your garden.
To grow mint at home, it is easiest to plant seedlings or start with a store-bought mint plant. Mint can be tricky to start from seed. Use an organic potting soil for herbs.
Mints have shallow root systems and are best suited to broad, shallow containers, instead of taller ones. Make sure to repot mint in a pot with drainage holes on the bottom.
Plastic containers hold moisture inside, keeping the soil damp for longer than terra cotta pots do, which are porous and water evaporates through the sides of the pot.
Mint plants vary in height depending on the variety. The average height is 10 to 15 inches, with some exceptions.
Because peppermint can grow long straggly stems, you can grow it in your kitchen in a fun hanging pot and let it trail down.
How to Propagate Mint
Propagate Mint by Division
The simplest and fastest way to propagate your mint plant is through division. You basically take a piece of your plant and have a complete plant to start with right away! Definitely easier and quicker than growing new mint plants from seed.
- Take your overgrown plant out of its pot and gently separate the roots and foliage with your hands into two or three parts. Make sure each part has its own roots attached.
- Pot each division in its own planter.
- Keep them in bright indirect light until your see new growth.
How to Propagate Mint cuttings in water
Because mint is so fast-growing, you need to prune it often to keep it from looking leggy. Don’t throw out the trimmed parts, you can propagate these stem cuttings in water.
- Take a stem cutting with at least a few sets of leaves. Remove the bottom leaves.
- Place the cutting in a glass or jar with just enough water to cover the bottom.
- Keep it in cool place with bright, indirect light.
- Make sure to change the water regularly.
- Wait for roots to appear.
- Plant newly rooted mint cuttings.
How to Grow Mint Cuttings in Water
Mint stem cuttings can grow in just water for a couple of days. Kept in the refrigerator they can last for up to two weeks.
Water alone won’t supply the cuttings with the nutrients they need to grow.
If you want to grow mint in water permanently, it’s called hydroponic gardening and you will need to fertilize frequently with a special hydroponic fertilizer for vegetables and herbs.
It is advised to plant the cuttings in soil once the roots have grown one or two inches.
When to Harvest Mint at Home
You can harvest mint leaves at any time. Prune leggy stems first. This will encourage new growth, creating a bushier plant.
Simply snip off a small portion with sharp scissors or pruning shears. Don’t tear stems off, this can injure the plant or dislodge the roots.
Avoid removing too many of the leaves at once. Do not remove more than one-third of your plant’s growth. Plants need their leaves to grow and thrive
Prolong the mint harvest by pinching off the flower buds. This will encourage the plants’ resources to go towards creating new leaves instead of flowering.
3 Ways to Preserve Fresh Mint
There are a few easy ways to preserve fresh herbs so you have them readily available year-round, even in winter!
You can keep your mint cuttings in the refrigerator, or save mint leaves for later by freezing or drying them.
1. Store Mint in the Refrigerator
To store fresh mint, put stems in water. Don’t immerse the leaves. At room temperature, the sprigs will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days. For longer storage, cover with a plastic bag over the leaves and chill in the refrigerator. Change the water regularly and the herbs can stay fresh for as long as two weeks.
Wash fresh herbs just before using them, not before storing them in the fridge.
2. Freeze Fresh Mint
Herbs can be frozen in ice cubes to add flavor to cold tea or other drinks.
To make pretty herb ice cubes to put in your drinks, freeze a layer of water in the cube tray, place the herb in the middle, add more water, and refreeze.
To freeze mint in ice cubes to flavor your favorite dishes, combine one cup of mint leaves (whole or chopped) with two cups of water. Pour into ice cube trays to freeze.
You can also spread the leaves on a flat pan and freeze them just like that.
Label the frozen mint in plastic bags and store it in the freezer for up to three months.
Defrosted mint will be limp, and not very desirable as a garnish, but it will retain its flavor.
3. Drying Mint Leaves
Use your oven or microwave to speed up the drying process.
- Oven: Place a layer of mint leaves on a baking sheet, and bake at 100F degrees till they’re brittle. Leave the oven door slightly ajar.
- Microwave: Put about four bunches of mint between paper towels and set the timer for 2-3 minutes. If the leaves are not dry yet, reset the timer for 30 seconds more or until the mint is crumbly.
An attractive classic way of drying mint is to tie the stems with a string and hang the mint upside down in a dry, airy room, away from direct sunlight.
After about two weeks the leaves will be dry. Crumble them with your fingers or crush them with a rolling pin.
Store the dried mint in airtight containers in a cool place away from sunlight for up to four months.
Good to know: A tablespoon of dried mint equals two tablespoons of fresh mint.