How To Keep Invasive Mint Plants CONTAINED!

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Are you concerned about keeping mint plants contained in landscaping? Come see how we’re enjoying fresh mint without worrying about it going wild in the landscaped area.

Keeping Mint Plants Contained In Landscaping - Come See How We're Enjoying Fresh Mint Without Worrying About It Going Wild in the beds. #TexasHomesteader

I love mint but although others have always warned me that it was invasive, I’ve never been able to get it to grow. I’ve planted various kinds of mint over the years but none of them last over a few months.

Growing Mint In Tough Growing Conditions

Then my aunt shared some mint plants with me. I carefully planted them in an area of our landscaping that was notoriously hard to get anything to grow due to the fact that it faced west.

The brutal Texas heat makes all but the scrappiest of plants succumb in this location. But c’mon, its mint plants – surely they will grow!

So I planted them and watched as they grew beautifully.

I loved the vibrant green growth even during the brutal heat of our typical Texas summer. And it flowered all season long!

After it was established I never watered or fussed with it at all, yet it grew.

How To Use Fresh Mint

I love the cooling sensation of fresh mint. My favorite ways to use fresh mint:

Homemade minty mouthwash.

Morning Motivation bar soap

Healthier Mint chocolate chip ice cream using frozen bananas.

Cool refreshing Sugar-Free Mint Beverage.

Hot Herbal Tea with Dried Mint

Herbal spearmint tea made with fresh mint leaves in vintage white mug #TexasHomesteader

Mint Is Invasive – Growers Beware!

But I was also nervous… Although I’d planted mint several times before only to have it die, this mint was scrappy indeed!

Although I loved it I’d heard horror stories about mint gone wild in flower beds.

So I put out an earnest plea to our TxH Facebook followers asking for advice.

Suggestions to Keep Mint Plants Contained

    • Elle Mental said: Good luck with that… about the only way I know how to keep mint contained is in a hanging basket, hung 6 feet off the ground. We have a mint bed, it started out as a herb bed, but we all know what happened to the rest of the herbs… now that it has escaped the confines of the bed and is in the grass we just keep it mowed with the rest of the grass. That seems to keep it from spreading with as much enthusiasm
    • Kathryn said: If you want to keep mints in their flower beds, you need a garden fence with deep runners around them. Dig a trench around the mint and either (1) fill with cement or (2) fill with bricks/gravel and line with plastic garden liner. I cannot say how deep, because i don’t know what mint you have got there. They send out underground runners, so even this is no guarantee.
    • Jerry said: Are we talking mint here? NO WAY!!!…Roundup is the only deterrent and it doesn’t always work. Might try gasoline and a match!!! Around here it’s more robust than crabgrass…

How To Confine Growing Invasive Mint

OK, consider me officially nervous. I love my mint but I must make it play nice! The work I do now will be important later.

We decided to buy a 36-inch galvanized fire ring that was 18 inches deep, we buried all but about 3 inches of its depth.

Hopkins Homestead Store galvanized steel raised beds coupon code. #TexasHomesteader

Then we poured several bags of gravel along the bottom and sides. And I added back in the crappy clay soil we had previously dug out.

I’ve heard that if you give overly robust plants less desirable soil they’ll still grow of course but reduce the vigor. So I didn’t amend the soil at all.

Then I replanted a few of the mint sprigs and waited…

Keeping Mint Plants Contained In Landscaping - Come See How We're Enjoying Fresh Mint Without Worrying About It Going Wild in the beds. #TexasHomesteader

Adding Mulch To Garden Planting

I left the area around the ring bare for a while so I could see and remove any mint sprigs that attempted to come back from missed roots.

Then I topped the surrounding soil with the heavy paper from a few empty cattle feed sacks and finally topped that paper with bark mulch I got for FREE from our county.

Soon the mint plants filled in completely within this ring. I think it adds visual interest to the bed.

Keeping Mint Plants Contained In Landscaping - Come See How We're Enjoying Fresh Mint Without Worrying About It Going Wild in the beds. #TexasHomesteader

The mint obviously grows effortlessly, blooms prolifically for the pollinators and looks just lovely. 

And now it’s properly contained too!

~TxH~

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35 thoughts on “How To Keep Invasive Mint Plants CONTAINED!

  1. Mrs Shoes

    That looks darned pretty! I surely hope it works. I have only grown mint in containers, for the same concerns. It is such a lovely smell to have around though, that I can’t not have any.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      It’s on its 2nd or 3rd year right now and it’s still contained beautifully. And I think it looks awesome too. ~TxH~

      Reply
  2. ColleenB.

    Looks like your mint is thriving; mine as well. The 1st or 2nd year that I planted mint I had made / canned some mint jelly. Don’t know how you feel about people adding links but here are 21 ordinary ways on using mint. http://www.naturallivingideas.com/21-ways-to-use-mint/ . Some I knew and some where new to me.
    Have a great weekend Tammy
    We hope to start on my 16×24 ‘she’ shed soon :}

    Reply
  3. justin

    I made the mistake of letting mine “free range” and it took over! I won’t be making that mistake again…

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Ugh, I was so afraid of that Justin. I just trimmed the mint back to make sure it didn’t lean over & root into the surrounding area – I really like the way it looks trimmed since the metal ring shows better. I chopped up the trimmings & tossed them into the hens nesting boxes so even then nothing gets wasted! ~TxH~

      Reply
  4. Janet Vinyard

    Interesting post with great ideas from author and readers! My peppermint is struggling this year because we’ve had so many 90+ days in a row this summer. My oregano has given up the ghost but my basil and lemon thyme are thriving. Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Janet

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      My mint has always died Janet, which is why I asked my family for starts of theirs – I was tired of buying it over & over again just to have it die. This spearmint given to me by my aunt is very vigorous! I don’t water it no matter what the weather and it’s just happy to grow and bloom all summer long. The bees love it! ~TxH~

      Reply
  5. Vickie

    I have some spearmint in a pot right next to our beehives. The bees absolutely maul the plant when it is in full bloom! I’m going to harvest some of them mint later after it finishes blooming for some winter tea. I just adore hot mint tea when I have the sniffles!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      That’s so interesting Vickie, my wheels are turning on how to get some mint out there by our hives and be able to trim the longer stems from time to time to keep the mint from getting loose in the pasture! Ours is always covered with the big yellow/black bumble bees but I’ve never seen our girls on it – guess they can’t compete with the big guys. Thinking cap: ON! ~TxH~

      Reply
  6. Beth C

    That is just beautiful! I love the look you have there! I wish I could give you some of my trailing daisy. It spreads but isn’t quite as invasive as mint. 😉

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks Beth – you should see it now! It’s completely filled out and profusely blooming, absolutely beautiful! ~TxH~

      Reply
  7. Next to Natural

    This is a great idea and I think it even adds a more polished look to any yard with the galvanized ring around it! Thanks for sharing at Simply Natural Saturdays!

    Reply
  8. Sandra

    The galvanized ring is a great idea for containing the mint ‘ s root system however there are seeds to consider too. In fact Lemon Balm mostly spreads by seed. The key is not to let them go to flower, hence produce seed heads. Take it from one who let her Lemon Balm flower. (Lol)
    Sandra

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      …the voice of lessons hard learned are often the wisest, eh Sandra? Thanks for the tip. ~TxH~

      Reply
  9. Charlene Dryman

    I wish catnip would grow as profusely as mint. Mine won’t even sprout. I would love to have a yard full of nothing but lavender, but they say it won’t grow here either. zone 9a, by Galveston, Tx

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Ummmm… I’d love to have a yard full of lavender too Charlene – how awesome would that be??!! ~TxH~

      Reply
  10. Emily

    I have always kept my mint in containers because I’m afraid it’ll take over my whole yard if I put it in a bed! You are brave 😉 But I think your galvanized ring solution is a great idea! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday last week.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’m hopeful this will give me the best of both worlds – beautiful mint with a decorative touch in my beds without extra weeding, etc. Fingers crossed! ~TxH~

      Reply
  11. Therese Bizabishaka

    I haven’t grown mint yet but when I do will put it in a pot. My oregano was very invasive and was very hard to get out of the garden bed.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I was excited to get my oregano started and it grew beautifully for almost two years, but another gripping drought killed it out. I planted more seeds this year – fingers crossed! ~TxH~

      Reply
  12. Katie

    So funny – I love having mint too but MAN is it invasive! I was thinking about just putting a small pot of it on my deck. Thanks for sharing this idea, good one! Found you at #homematters link party!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      This arrangement looks great in my landscaping Katie, and the mint has already rebounded and filled out the container. I’ll be harvesting my first of the year very soon – I absolutely love mint! ~TxH~

      Reply
  13. Gabrielle Tyler

    I love it! Thanks for the share. Mint is a necessity and this is such a help.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I agree Gabrielle – I’ve never been successful growing mint but this plant is so prolific it keeps me supplied in as much as I can pick. ~TxH~

      Reply
  14. Sue

    My husband had an old cattle self watering tank that I claimed and painted and planted my mint in it.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I commandeered an old trough too and planted it with various veggies/garlic, etc. Great minds thinking alike, eh Sue?? Love it! ~TxH~

      Reply
  15. Kate @ Teaching What Is Good

    Great idea! I’ve been wanting to try putting in some mint but the fear of being taken over was huge! I think I’ll give this a try.

    Stopping over from Sew Crafty Angel’s linkup.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      So glad you stopped by, Kate. I’m hopeful this technique will work, and I love the way it looks. I’ve had to dig out rogue mint starts from roots I apparently left when I dug it all up, but it’s certainly been manageable. I love my mint, and I look forward to harvesting lots of it very soon. ~TxH~

      Reply
  16. ColleenB.~Texas

    I keep my contained by planting mine in large container.
    Mint, like Lemon Balm spreads big time and have made a mistake by planting lemon balm in the ground and I thought I never would get rid of it.
    Even tho lemon balm doesn’t spread by runners under ground the way mint does it will spread and take over Everything. keeping lemon balm in tact from taking up too much of your garden, cut the plant back to a few inches tall several times during the growing season. This will keep the plant bushy and healthy-looking while preventing seeds from ripening.
    If you have a barrier that is buried 18-24inches, the mint will laugh at any barrier less than that — and it may leap over or tunnel under anyway. Growing mint in containers is probably the best way to keep these plants under control.
    ( Didn’t know if you excepted links here so sending you a link on planting mint in container and then bury it in the ground)

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Not sure where my reply to your comment went the other day Colleen, but I see it’s not listed here. Hummm… Just wanted to let you know that I did get your other link – thanks for sending. I’ve read before that it’s possible to contain mint in an open-bottom container like the one I used as long as it’s deeply buried and there’s still an exposed ridge around the top, fingers crossed that it works well since I really like the way this setup looks. Thanks for sharing the link and for your comment! ~TxH~

      Reply
      1. ColleenB.~Texas

        Wishing you all the best on your mint. Keep us informed on how your technique works.
        Enjoy your week and wishing you and all mother’s out there a very Happy Mother’s Day come Sunday

        Reply
  17. Linda

    Congratulations! That is pretty much the only way I have read to contain mint, is basically a container – which is what you sort of made there.

    Have a blessed weekend!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’m still a little nervous Linda, because some have said that even this is no guarantee that the vigorous roots won’t grow down & out, but I’m hopeful… ~TxH~

      Reply

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