I have never tried to overwinter peppermint, or any mint. However, my neighbor is fighting cancer and mint tea seems to soothe her stomach. I have a large mint plant in a container, and if I can keep it alive all winter, I can supply her with mint tea. Should I bring it in the house, or put it in the barn where there is some shelter from wind and cold, but unheated, or try to keep it alive in a sheltered spot in the yard, perhaps against a south wall? I'd sure appreciate any help. Normally I'd just take cuttings, but I need the whole large plant to keep her in tea.
I've never done it, but I would think that as long as it got enough sun it could be kept indoors during really cold spells. We have been having overnight temps in the 37-45 degree range and mine is doing fine. You might try leaving it outside in full sun as much as possible, only bringing it inside if there is a frost/freeze warning for the night.
If this is the same peppermint we usually grow, Mentha piperita, it takes over the garden in a jiffy and seems to grow when all other plants have taken to their winter hibernation. Info on it says it survives -30 to -40°F. I can't vouch for that since we never get those temps. I say you could try and leave a piece outside, just to test it, and bring the rest somewhere sheltered, just to be safe.
I agree too. Had it in the ground in Chicago yard and it came back well each year. Takes over if not careful.
Thank you all for your help. I think that, considering I want to harvest it throughout the winter, I'll bring 2/3 of the plant inside if cold weather (freezing) is predicted and put the other third in a pot to stay outdoors, semi-protected. This is the second question I've had answered today (Toni ID'd a tree that had me bumfuzzled). You folks are better than a passel of fairy godmothers!
The peppermint at the house is just thriving now that it's gotten cooler. And it comes back year after year all on it's own. I've never tried growing or keeping some indoors, but I'd guess it would work. And that's very nice of you to go through all of this for your sick neighbor.
LOL, You couldn`t kill that stuff if you tried here in Texas. I would bring the pot in if it gets cold enough to freeze the leaves but as long as temps are like they have been, it will do fine outside. Just make sure it gets plenty of sun. If you have a bunch of it just freeze the leaves or clippings in a gallon bag.
Mart, I hadn't thought of freezing some of the leaves. Brilliant! I'll take some tomorrow and freeze them to see what happens. This, along with the good advice I've received, may just take my mint through the winter with lots of leaves for tea.
It will work. Like the stewbies are saying - all mint requires is a little attention, sunshine (in your case light) and it will survive. Good idea there Mart. freezing herbs works. Here by us mint will take over a garden if not kept in check. Thus I grow mine in a container.
I would do mint the same as I do basil. Throw enough for a pot of tea in the cubes of an ice cube tray then cover with water and freeze. Empty the cubes into a gallon freezer bag. Easy to take a couple of cubes out at a time to make mint tea. And the water you added is infused with the mint.
Yep I could not agree with you more. Freezing the herbs - I am sitting here with a red face, since I should have done so with my basil in the previous season. Instead I found myself going to the supermarket to buy fresh basil when I could have had my own since I grew basil then.
It worked! It all worked! I took the mint plant into the potting area of the barn when we had the hard freeze, and it was unaffected by the cold. I also harvested leaves, froze them as ice cubes, and made mint tea from a cube as an experiment. Just like fresh! Now my friend has a bag of mint cubes in her freezer for whenever she wants a cup of tea, and I'm still harvesting fresh leaves from the mother plant. She asked me to pass along a heartfelt "Thank you" for all your good advice. I join in the gratitude.
Yippee!!!! I never had a doubt that the folks here would be able to help you out. Although our mint has been unaffected by the light freezes we've had... I plan on freezing some in the ice cube tray too. That was such a great tip.
