This Mint Variety Is the Perfect Addition to Any Fall Herb Garden—How to Grow It

If you enjoy growing fresh herbs, then try adding apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) to your garden. This easy-to-grow perennial may become a new favorite for cool drinks, sweet additions to your dishes, and much more.

Learn more about growing and caring for apple mint.

About Apple Mint

A member of the mint family, apple mint is an upright, herbaceous perennial herb often used as a ground cover.

Hardy in USDA zones 5-9, apple mint spreads rapidly through rhizomes and can become invasive. If ingested, the leaves and stems are toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Apple mint grows to two feet tall with large (2-inches long) light green, slightly hairy leaves and produces terminal spikes of small pink or white flowers in the summer that attract pollinators. The leaves have a milder mint flavor than some varieties with a light fruity hint of apple.

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How to Care for Apple Mint

Once established, apple mint is easy to grow by following these guidelines.

Light

In cooler growing areas, apple mint grows best in full sun. In areas of high temperatures, it needs some afternoon shade to protect the leaves from burning. When grown in shade, apple mint will become leggy and flop over.

Soil

The plant prefers well-draining, rich soil with aslightly acidic to neutral pH but can adapt to most soil types.

Water

To produce fresh, tender leaves, apple mint requires regular watering and consistently moist soil.

Fertilizer

If apple mint is planted in poor soil, the plants should be fertilized about once per month (every 4 to 6 weeks) during the growing season.

Container-grown apple mint will benefit from feeding with a water-soluble, balanced, all-purpose fertilizer (10-10-10 NPK) throughout the growing season, starting in spring when the plants emerge.

Propagating

Apple mint can be propagated by taking cuttingsand rooting them in water.

• Take the cuttings in late spring to early summer when the plant is actively growing and before it has bloomed.
• Snip a stem that is four to six inches long and strip off the leaves from the lower half of the stem.
• Put the cutting in a container of water placed in an area with bright, indirect sunlight.
• Change the water every few days until the roots grow about two inches long.
• Plant in moist potting soil and keep it watered for three weeks until the roots are strong enough to transplant to the garden or a larger container.
  

Why Apple Mint Makes a Great Companion Plant

Like most mint plants, the menthol in the leaves of apple mint repels many insects making it a good companion plant for the garden.

According to the University of Georgia Extension, mint repels cabbage moths, ants, mice, and fleas and is not inviting to deer.

However, because mint spreads rapidly, the University suggests planting it in containers and placing them throughout the garden.

How to Harvest and Use Apple Mint

• To keep apple mint plants thriving and producing more growth, cut a stem around four inches long rather than plucking individual leaves.
• Make your cut just above a pair of leaves to keep the plant bushier.
• By cutting the stem the plant will produce more stems and leaves. The most tender and tastiest leaves are at the tips.
• Harvest mint in the morning when the essential oils in the foliage are at their most potent.

Regular harvesting is important for good-tasting apple mint. Once the plant produces flowers or goes to seed, the leaves can have a bitter note.

How to Use Apple Mint

Apple mint leaves can be eaten fresh in salads, brewed in hot water for tea, or added as a garnish to cool drinks.

The leaves should be stored in the refrigerator. Loosely wrap the leaves in a damp paper towel and place them inside a perforated plastic bag to keep them fresh for 7 to 10 days.

The leaves can also be frozen or dried. To freeze, rough-chop the leaves and pack them into ice cube trays. Add just enough water to act as a binder between the leaves, then freeze. Once solid, remove the mint ice cubes from the tray and put them in a freezer storage bag to use for drinks.

To dry the apple mint leaves, use a dehydrator or hang the mint plants to air-dry. Crumble the leaves and store them in an air-tight glass container.

From: thespruce