Mint

Latin name: Mentha

🌱 Days to Sprout: 10-21 

😋 Plant food: after true leaves 

✂️ Thin to: 3 plants per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 60-75

💡 Light Zone: Minimum

📏 Plant Size: <1 ft

💚 Care Level: Intermediate

Mint is referred to extensively in old texts and stories, including the Bible and ancient mythology. Fossil and historical records show Mint is native to at least North America, southern Europe, Asia, the Mediterannean, southern Africa, and Australia. Historically, Mint was appreciated for its bright scent that could freshen the breath and body.

Known for its digestive aid properties, Mint regulates muscle relaxation and helps control inflammation. In addition to its refreshing aroma, Mint has antimicrobial properties, making it popular for oral health products such as toothpastes, chewing gum, and lozenges. Smelling Mint is known to increase mental alertness and wakefulness.

Mint is commonly infused in beverages, such as teas, fruit drinks, and mojitos. It brings a cool, bright taste to salads, herb blends, and fruit preserves. Crushing extra Mint leaves into ice cube trays and freezing them into cubes creates a fresh, flavorful way to keep your summer beverages cool!

💡Temperature: Prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F).

✂️ Pruning: Remove leaves with brown spots if they appear, along with red runners, which divert energy from leaf growth. Mint regrows quickly, so you can be aggressive when pruning is necessary! Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod.

🔎 Plant Health: Spider mites are a common pest, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay! 

🌿 Harvest: Harvesting frequently helps prolong the plant's life. Pinch off individual leaves, or use clean shears to cut stems above growth nodes. Even though it's slow to germinate, Mint is a fast grower once established, so don’t be afraid to cut it down to ⅓ of its height at a time for continued harvests!

Recipe Source: Epicurious

• 4 ears corn, shucked

• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon mild honey

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 cups quinoa (about 10 oz)

• 4 scallions or Chives, chopped

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

• Put corn in a 5- to 6-quart wide pot, then add water to cover and bring to a boil, covered. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer corn with tongs to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels off cobs with a large heavy knife.

• Meanwhile, whisk together lemon zest and juice, butter, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.

• Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a large sieve each time.

• Cook quinoa in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve over same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam until quinoa is tender, fluffy, and dry, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand (still covered) 5 minutes.

• Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in corn, scallions, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.