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Growing mint indoors is incredibly easy! I 100% encourage growing mint garden indoors for the winter, or maybe even all year, by starting a windowsill herb garden!
Mint is one of my favorite herbs for many reasons: it smells amazing, it looks gorgeous, and … duh, mojitos! We use it often in our kitchen and I hate how whenever we buy it fresh from the grocery it always goes bad so quickly.
Obviously, it’s not as easy growing some herbs indoors as it is outside in a garden, but many herbs, including mint, grow quite well in smaller planters and require only minimal care.
I’m excited to be growing our own mint in our kitchen. Here are my tips and tricks to help you do the same. Cheers to growing endless amounts of mint in your very own kitchen!
My Tips to Grow Mint in Your Kitchen
Before Planting Mint Advice
Before planting mint, you should choose a location where indoor temperatures range between 65° and 70° degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55° to 60° degrees Fahrenheit at night. You may also want to avoid cold drafts that could lead to environmental stress.
Get The Necessary Supplies
You will need certain necessary supplies to grow mint indoors. Because the plant is invasive and spreads quickly, you should use wide, shallow containers with adequate drainage. This will ensure new shoots have plenty of space to grow without strangling the roots.
Coconut coir and perlite filled potting soil make for some of the best-growing media for indoor gardening. Both options are lightweight and have great nutrient and water holding capacity. Your mint is also more likely to do better when grown from stem cuttings than from seeds.
If you want to go the easy route, you could purchase a ready-to-go herb garden – we got ours from Plants.com.
Try Growing Varieties of Mint
To increase the chances of success, you should plant different types of mint in your kitchen. This will allow you to enjoy the scents and flavors associated with each variety. Some varieties you can try are peppermint, chocolate mint, pineapple mint, spearmint, and lemon mint. However, it would help if you kept the different types separate to prevent cross-pollination.
Provide Optimum Growing Conditions
The right growing conditions will promote vigorous plant growth and ensure the leaves taste great. For the mint to thrive, you should choose a location with indirect light. It is also important to maintain a humid environment and ensure the area has an average ambient temperature.
If you do not get adequate natural light, you could look into getting a grow light, but I think the AeroGarden hydroponic herb gardens are spectacular.
Herbs need lots of light, and during winter, even your sunniest window might not be enough light. We have grow lights on timers throughout our house to help replicate optimal growing conditions. We like to use the HausBright Light Blubs and just a simple outlet light timer. We have them set so during the winter; our plants get 4 hours of additional artificial light.
Ensure Proper Planting and Care
Mint should be planted in fertile, well-draining soil. When growing mint from a stem cutting, take a five to six-inch cutting and pluck the leaves at the bottom. Place the bottom end of the cutting in a jar of water and allow roots to form and grow. Next, plant the rooted cuttings in pre-moistened growing media, making sure they are at least 10 inches apart.
Proper care is critical if you are to grow mint in your kitchen successfully. You will have to prune them occasionally to provide room for new growth. Remember to water them regularly to keep them from drying out and fertilize them from mid-spring to late summer using liquid organic fertilizer. Lastly, you will need to rotate the plants every few days, so they do not start to bend one way or another towards the light.
Once you have the plants in your kitchen, you should harvest mint regularly. This will encourage the plants to produce new leaves and keep them at their best.