How to Raise Mint

Loosen the soil throughout the planting area with a garden spade. Dig the tines of the spade about 4 inches deep, and work the soil thoroughly to cultivate it. Add 4 inches of aged compost evenly over the surface of the growing area. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of granular fertilizer over every square foot of soil. Cultivate the soil again with the spade to mix in the compost and fertilizer. Smooth the growing area with a rake.

Make planting rows with a hoe, spacing them about 2 to 3 feet apart. Dig shallow holes for each mint plant with a trowel, spacing the holes 2 feet apart in the rows.

Remove the mint plants from their temporary container and place the plants in the prepared holes. Mint plants require shallow planting with the roots near the soil surface. Cover the roots gently with soil and firm it carefully with your hands.

Water the plants immediately after you finish planting them. Saturate the soil evenly. Provide 1 to 2 inches of water weekly for growing mint plants if sufficient rain does not occur.

Remove weeds that grow between rows and plants manually to avoid disturbing the shallow mint roots.

Harvest mint plants after they begin blooming. Cut the whole mint plants down just above the soil level. Allow the cut plants to dry on the ground for about 24 hours, and then gather them for distillation.

Allow the runners left in the soil to grow for the remainder of the growing season. Cultivate the soil down to a depth of 4 inches after the first killing frost to cover all root runners thoroughly before winter.