 | | | Mint Photo Cynthia Brian
| | | | | | Hello Goddess Gardener:
We need your help in solving an argument. I bought a four-inch pot of mint, which I planted in our herb garden. It's very pretty, healthy, and becoming bushy. Although we both love the mint, my husband wants me to dig it up and put it in a pot because he says it will take over our small garden. It's a fight. What is the best thing to do?
Elsie in Lafayette
Hello Elsie in Lafayette:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you, but your husband is correct. As pretty as the mint is now, it will over run your entire garden and will even make its way to other locations if you don't control it now. Mint is a wonderful addition to herb gardens but it must be contained. Dig it up and put it in a decorative pot away from your beds. In this way it can grow and you will be able to manage and enjoy it. Not only is mint terrific in salads, beverages, teas, and cooking, but it is also a natural pesticide in gardens, keeping away many of the unwanted insects that destroy landscapes. However, it is also invasive with deep runners that will pop up everywhere.
Years ago when I first planted my garden, I made the huge mistake of thinking that if I planted one small spring of mint in a fenced area far from the rest of my garden, that I would be able to keep it corralled. I was very wrong. That one sprig sent runners to places 300 feet away. I now have mint in my lawn, flowerbeds, orchard, and more and no matter what I do to pull it, chop it, or dig it, the results are always more mint. The deer won't eat it and as much as I love to utilize it, I won't possibly be able to use enough or give enough away in a thousand lifetimes.
Don't bother arguing over mint. It will always win. Fair warning to all mint lovers: contain it or you'll be experiencing mint madness, too.
Happy Gardening and happy growing!
Cynthia
(c)2012
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA