A dense patch of spearmint with serrated green leaves.
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons From the 2816×2112 original, scaled to 467×350 and re-encoded as WebP (quality 35); metadata removed.

Mint

Mentha spicata

About it

Kind
Herbs · Perennial
Family
Lamiaceae
Mature size
to 2 ft × 2 ft
Hardiness zones
Zones 3–11
Sun
Part shade
Spacing
12 in apart, rows 24 in
Soil depth in a pot
At least 8 in
Soil pH
5.5–7
Water
About every 7 days

When to plant

Ready
About 70 days

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Mint yet.

Safety for pets and children

  • Cats Listed as a problem for cats (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Essential Oils
  • Dogs Listed as a problem for dogs (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Essential Oils
  • Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension) — Low severity; toxic principle: Essential Oils
  • Children No information in our sources

If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.

Read from NC State Extension ↗.

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Mint yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

  • family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Mentha spicata L.
  • Most facts The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
  • toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for cat, dog, horse from the page's "Problem for" listing. Severity, parts and principle are the page's poison characteristics for the whole plant. Page matched to this row by its recorded species; not cited by the row before this batch.
  • water frequency days UMN Extension ↗ UMN "Growing herbs in home gardens": garden herbs, "water deeply once per week; soak the soil to 8 inches." General guidance for herbs, not a figure published for this plant. The page adds that mint is "Tolerant of heat and dry soil once established."

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