Mint
Especialy in the UK and the USA mint is a very popular herb, especially with gardeners.
It’s very easy to grow, with a distinct flavour but is a very fast growing plant.
The Top 4 Mint Varieties
- Apple Mint – Strong flavour great for tea or adding to salads
- Spearmint – Ideal for recipes like roast leg of lamb or pasta meals, etc
- Peppermint – With a stronger flavour it’s ideal for lamb recipes.
- Orange Mint – Ideal for salads and mexican recipes like Salsa
Follow the links below for details, or read on for growing and cooking advice:
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In this article we will cover:
- The different types
- Where & how to grow it indoors
- How to use it for cooking and in recipes
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The different mint types
There are very many different types, For example water mint, asian, corsican, forest one, etc.
Which is why (especially if you want to use it for cooking & in recipes) it is very important to carefully select the right type to grow.
When it comes to recipes the most popular ones will be:
Spearmint
This is the type (if you live in the UK or USA) that you will be most familiar with, as it’s the type most often used in many recipes.
Typical recipes:
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Peppermint
Peppermint will have a stronger flavour than spearmint and is often used in desserts or in tea.
Typical recipes:
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In addition there are also many different types ideal for specific uses, such as
- Apple – Great for tea and adding to salads
- Orange – Also great for salads but ideal for mexican recipes like salsa
- Chocolate – Especially good for desserts
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Where & how to grow mint indoors
It is a very fast growing plant that will grow using a network of runners. Which is why you need to be very careful when planting it next to other plants, as there is a real danger it will take over.
And which is why we also don’t recommend it for aquaponics – and if you want to grow it using hydropnics then the best option is to use a system like the balcony hydroponics one (with seperate pots)
Seed or Plant
In addition it is probably safer to start your plant using either a ready made plant, cutting or a plug plant. The reason is that it is one of the herbs which is highly variable – and even using seeds from a reputable supplier you might still end up with a different type then the one you were hoping to grow.
Quick guide:
- Plant in individual pots
- Optimal growing temperature is 15 to 20 ºC
- And full sunlight or high levels of artificial light.
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How prepare mint for cooking and in recipes
If you want to use it then the first stage is to cut it from the plant. The video below provides ‘step by step’ advice.
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Once you have the leaves then the key is to ‘stack & roll’ the leaves:
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How to start
Hopefully our guide showing how to grow mint indoors has helped.