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1998 Herb of the Year: Mint

© Barbara M. Martin

Mint is on my mind this week.

Mint is one of the most popular herbs and rightly so. It's easy to grow, tastes good and looks attractive in the garden. Mint is such a universally popular ingredient that is is grown as a big commercial crop!

So it's no wonder that when my daughter bought her first herb plant at age seven, it was "Curly" mint. After lengthy deliberation and a lot of leaf rubbing she decided that particular one smelled the best out of all the varieties at the nursery. There are so many types available that that is the best way to buy mint: rub it a bit and then smell it and pick the one you like best!

There is another reason to test drive the plant before you buy it, and that is because most varieties of mint do not come true from seed so you may encounter variations of taste and fragrance. Growers should propagate named types by division or possibly by cuttings, but the only way of being assured of buying a particular named type is to test it.

It's fun, too! One of my favorites is "Chocolate" mint. While I can smell the chocolate and so can some other people, not everyone can. Orange mint and apple mint are pretty recognizable, but I can't tell spearmint from peppermint. So when purchasing a plant, let your nose be your guide.

Silly as this may sound, pinch and sniff testing mint is great entertainment - right up there with pinch and sniff testing scented geraniums! Once you get over that initial hesitation about handling the merchandise and damaging the plant, it's fun. The old "You break it, you bought it" routine does not apply to mint - there is no way you are going to break it! Mint is fairly indestructible.

Mint is so tough it can be field grown as a commercial crop (how else would they get all that mint oil for breath mints!) and folks have various strategies for containing it in the garden.

If mint has one failing, it is that pernicious propensity to spread. And spread. And spread some more. So be very careful: do not let it escape into your garden! Treat it as a container plant! Either keep it in a pot on a paved surface or keep it in a bucket buried in the ground, but keep a tight hold on it!

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