Prepare your Mints for the Winter

Mints is a tough herb, but as you know we can have harsh winters. On today's 5 Minute Friday blog and video, we show you how to help your mints through the winter. The great news is caring for mint plants in the winter is not too tricky, and these hints and tips will really help. 

Mint plants are deciduous. This means they lose their leave in the winter. Mint plant will lose all of its foliage in the colder months in the UK but don't worry the roots are alive and well under the compost. 

Before we start - a bit about Mint Plants

Before we get into how to prep your mint plants for the winter, let's learn a bit about these wonderful plants.

Mints are the perfect and versatile herb to grow, offering benefits both in the garden and home. It's a fantastic culinary delight to add to lamb, salads, stews, dips and drinks, to name a few. A pure aromatic pleasure to the senses, mint can help concentration and lift your mood, enhancing everyday life.

For an easy, low maintenance herb, mint is a great choice, it even has uses beyond the kitchen! For example, create a natural all purpose cleaner, using a spray bottle with crushed mint leaves, slices of lemon and a drop of white vinegar.  This natural cleaning liquid, which will leave your home with the invigorating scent of mint. 

In the Ground or a pot?

Preparing your mint plants for the cold varies slightly depending on whether they are in the ground or a pot.

Preparing In-Ground Mint

Cut back: In the autumn, cut back quite harshly (to soil level), so the plant doesn't waste vital energy producing more growth. This allows the plant to focus its energy on the root system, rather than pursuing new plant growth. 

Add Mulch: Be generous when applying mulch around base of plant; this insulates and protects the roots. Layer around 5-10cm deep.

Location: If your plants are in the ground this can be tricky to change. However, mint plants are one of the easiest plants to move. You can dig the root ball up and replant in another location. Consider moving to a sheltered spot in the garden, against a wall or fence; this will provide some protection from cold winds.

Preparing Potted Mint

Cut Back: same as above. 

Bring indoors: Mint thrives in bright, direct light. Bring your potted mint indoors and pop them on a sunny, cool windowsill. Avoid putting it near radiators or other heat sources. If you have a grow light this is even better, and depending on the year, your plant may well sprout again and put on new growth before the spring. 

Watering: Reduce watering, allowing the top soil to dry out in-between watering. 

Top Tip

Take cuttings in the Autumn to overwinter indoors, this is your back up plan, and a way to get free plants next year!

Following these simple tips, on this week's 5 Minute Friday,  your mints should go through the winter perfectly fine, providing you with wonderful, fragrant, fresh mint for spring. 

   

A step by step guide for winter mint care.

1. Chopping your mint plants:  Cutting all of the foliage off your mint plants can seem drastic, if not cruel, but it actually helps the plants, so you really should do it. Take a sharp pair of secateurs and cut the stems all the way to the base. The plant will look a bit bare for a while but it is worth doing.

2. Mulch can make all the difference: A nice thick layer of mulch can be used to cover the plants once they have been cut back. This will protect the plant from freezing temperatures as the mulch acts like a blanket. Some good options for mulch are well rotted manure or leaf mould.

3. For the indoor mints: Where you keep them can make a big difference. I would recommend making sure they get enough light as possible.

4. Reduce your watering: Mints can cope with a lot of different conditions, and in the growing season, it is happy to drink a lot, but when they are not actively growing, easing up on the watering is essential. Root rot is a common issues so make sure they do not stay wet.

Following these steps will help bring your mint plants through the winter and bursting back to life come the spring. 

If you have any questions please do get in contact.