Starting mint from seed

[skroup]

I decided that I was going to add on an herb garden this year so I've started some inside which are all doing quite well with the exception of mint. I can not get a single mint seed to germinate, I have 11 other types of herbs growing beautifully under the same conditions. I thought maybe I had the soil with the mint seeds staying too wet so I replanted and made sure that it stayed moist but not wet. After a few weeks I thought that maybe I just got a bad packet of seed and got a new one and started over again with fresh soil, which I actually make a soilless mix that hasn't failed me these last couple years until the mint. It's been three weeks since I planted the last round of seeds and still nothing, anyone have any tips or ideas.

[rainbowgardener]

I've grown a couple different mints from seed in the past and not had any trouble, but it sounds like you are doing everything right, so I don't really have suggestions. Anybody who has mint growing, has plenty of it, so you could just give up on the seeds and get someone to give you some divisions or cuttings!

[skroup]

Yeah that's what I wanted but there is no one around here growing mint, and the plants at the stores just look terrible. I'll try a different type of mint maybe I'll see better results.

[applestar]

Mint grows rather easily from cuttings. Perhaps you can just root fresh sprigs of mint from the grocery store?

[Cagolddigger]

Love mint.

It doesn't take much mint to start and it will keep multiplying.
2 years ago I planted a piece from my friends garden and now I have to dig up 90% of it to keep it under control.

I also transplant the mint into pots and place them in the ground in my vegie garden for pest control.

[Sage Hermit]

is it because the roots mat the ground or am I just seeing things? they spread out because of their roots spread instead of dive? or they both spread and dive?

[applestar]

What they send out are more like rhizomes: Underground shoots. And these are much tougher than roots and can skim the surface and crawl over, as well as dive deep under obstacles.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah you have to watch that stuff. I have some that I planted in a pot to contain it, then buried the pot in bed. The roots promptly escaped out the drain holes of the pot and now it's spreading through the bed....

[emerald7]

When I went out looking for seeds, several major stores that carried hundreds of types of seeds did not carry a single mint seed. I thought this was very odd.

So I came home and did some research. Apparently growing mint from a seed is not the desired method... the seeds don't necessarily germinate easily, or if they do, they 'cross-breed' easily so you might not get the kind of mint you thought you were getting, and/or you might end up with something that doesn't taste that great.

It sounds like a cutting is the way to go. You might be able to do it from a mint at the grocery store, like someone said, if it is fresh enough.

[petalfuzz]

I grew mint from seed last summer and it was fine! Of course, I killed the seedlings by hardening off too fast, but the technique was still valid:

I used regular potting soil, not soilless mix. I sprinkled the seeds on the top of the soil and tamped down. I watered from underneath. The seeds sprouted and started growing just fine.

You can always try it this way if you can't find cuttings.

[StorageSmart2]

Just out of curiosity, what type of mint is it that you are trying to seed?

About two years ago I planted some peppermint using regular potting soil in your everyday plastic garden pot and it took over the whole pot and spread nicely in the ground once transferred.

This year my son planted some spearamint using the same type of soil and the same method, just like I showed him, and we've got nothing.

Mint is such a broad category that you might want to try a different subcategory if you're having trouble with the first one. Unless you're particularly partial to a specific type of mint...

[newbyplantlover]

I decided that I was going to add on an herb garden this year so I've started some inside which are all doing quite well with the exception of mint. I can not get a single mint seed to germinate, I have 11 other types of herbs growing beautifully under the same conditions. I thought maybe I had the soil with the mint seeds staying too wet so I replanted and made sure that it stayed moist but not wet. After a few weeks I thought that maybe I just got a bad packet of seed and got a new one and started over again with fresh soil, which I actually make a soilless mix that hasn't failed me these last couple years until the mint. It's been three weeks since I planted the last round of seeds and still nothing, anyone have any tips or ideas.

It's been a little bit since you posted; I don't know if you've achieved results. I had the exact same experience. It took 3 packets of seeds and different methods before my mint actually germinated. The method that finally did work for me was germinating them on a paper towel. If you want to try this method: dampen a paper towel (not soaked) and sprinkle the seeds on the surface. Fold over or lay a second paper towel over top and seal in a plastic bag (ziploc or other). Make sure the bag gets sun. The seeds germinated just fine. The real trouble was getting them from the paper towel to the soil and getting them rooted and so forth. Mint, when they are that small, are exceptionally tiny and delicate. Quite the reverse from when they are adult. Their roots and stems are the tiniest and most delicate I've seen (but then again, I haven't seen all that many). Someone else's recommendation to water from the bottom is an excellent suggestion. Watering from above was a tedious process, as even a small stream of water crushed the seedlings into the dirt.

It is much easier (from a gardening standpoint) to "start" mint from a cutting or a small pot. But if you love a good challenge ... growing mint from seed is a great one. (Plus there's somewhere around 400 seeds in one packet, so you can grow a LOT if you get it right.)

Have fun!

[Spongegirl]

If you haven't got any mint yet, I'll send you some of mine. You can just pay the postage and I'll dig you some today. It grows so well, you won't need but a little bit to start. I read yesterday that mint blocks the supply of blood to tumors, causing the tumors to die. What I read was about Chinese mint so I am wondering if our mint will do the same.