When to plant Mint
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Overwinters outdoors in a temperate garden.
Practical notes
Always plant it in a pot, even if the pot goes in the ground — the runners will otherwise colonise a whole bed within two seasons. Divide and repot every second spring or it exhausts itself.
Knowing when to pick
Cut whole stems just above a leaf pair, taking no more than a third at once. Cut it hard right after flowering and it returns with fresh, tender growth.
Storing the crop
A week standing in water, or dry it — mint is one of the few herbs that keeps its character dried. It also freezes well in ice cubes.
Crop rotation
Mostly perennial — give them a permanent sunny spot rather than a rotation slot.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: mint diseases and pests (2) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.