Peppermint – Indoor herb garden

One of the best digestive aids on the planet, peppermint is also known as “the world’s oldest medicine” according to archaeological fossils dating back ten thousand years ago. High in menthol, this plant has the capacity to reduce irritable bowel syndrome, reduce the symptoms of colic, and is a natural insecticide. Other properties of the plant include its cooling nature, which serves for its use in treating inflammation, headaches, fever, and indigestion.

Scientific Name: Mentha × Piperita

Common Name: peppermint

How to maintain peppermint:

Pick a Spot: A weed-free spot, rich with organic content and compost in soil that receives full sun, but shade in the afternoon is ideal for healthy growth. Pick an open windy area where you can sit by to enjoy the aroma when the wind blows through it.

Light requirements: Full sun to part shade. Protect plants from hot afternoon sun in southerly zones.

Planting: Grow mint from cuttings or buy a plant or two from a nursery instead of sowing seeds (growing mint from seed is difficult). Mint is hardy perennial in Zone 3-11, comes in varieties for every zone and climate, so choose accordingly.Spring is the best season to grow it in colder parts.

Variety: There are many types of mint varieties you can choose from. For colder parts peppermint, orange mint and apple mint are perfect. Pineapple mint and spearmint grows better in subtropics and tropics, other popular varieties are chocolate mint and lemon mint.

Water requirements: Mint thrives in moist to the slightly soggy soil. Consider planting mint near downspouts or in low, damp spots in your yard.

Caring: Do regular watering, mint hates getting dried and loves moist soil. Pinch to make it bushier and remove flowers to extend its growing time. Occasional fertilizer in a month is enough.

Common issues: Mint can quickly overrun a planting bed, spreading by above- and underground stems. Keep it in check by planting in containers or beds bordered by sidewalk or driveway, or by planting in partially submerged pots in planting beds. Leaf flavor turns bitter when flower buds appear. Mint is generally pest-free.

Harvesting: You can harvest mint leaves at any stage and use it in making mint tea, in salads, with yogurt and in a lot of cuisines.

conclusion: Bring a mint bed up in your garden in a limited space; you’ll adore its aroma. You can likewise make a home grown grass of mint (needs customary cutting) so when you stroll over it, it’ll discharge the aroma.