Worth knowing:
Most people know the mentha spicata or brook mint – as it is also called – by its minty taste that is a common ingredient in toothpaste or bubblegum.
Natural Location:
The subspecies Nana mint has its origin in Northafrica.
Cultivation:
Start propagation in spring. Place the seeds onto moist potting compost and slightly press them into the earth. The Mexican mint is a light germinator, therefore, the seeds should not be covered with substrate. Cover the seed container with clear film that you provide with a few holes to prevent the soil from drying out. Take the clear film every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on the potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20 and 25° Celsius and keep the potting compost moist, but not wet. Usually, the first seedlings will come up after 14 days. As soon as they develop the first pairs of leaves, you can carefully prick the seedlings out and after the ice saints, when there is no more frost to be expected, you can plant your mint seedlings out.
Place:
A sunny location in the garden plot or in a pot on the balcony brings out the best mint aroma.
Care:
Green mint is rather carefree, but it tends to grow rampant in the rhizomes. Therefore, placing a root barrier is recommended. To achieve a better flavour in the plant, you can let the soil start to dry a little bit, but don’t let it dry out. Fertilizer is not necessary and would only change the aroma of the leaves. The plant can be multiplied by splitting or through runners and cuttings. Harvest: starting in June, take a sharp knife and cut off the whole stalk; form a bundle with a couple of stalks and hang it upside down in a warm and dark place with sufficient airflow. The dried leaves can easily be stored in a sealable container.
During the winter:
Mexican mint is winter-hardy. Cut the plant back before the winter sets in and cover the rooting with greenery, brushwood or mulch. On days without frost you can water the plant somewhat.
Picture credits:
- © Martin Kozák - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
- © Frank Laue - Frank Laue -
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © AnRo0002 - CC0 - http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
- © K.vliet - CC-BY-2.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
- © Olve Utne - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Mattes - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
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