Mint
(midwest.social)
Track_Shovel
Science MemesSee also: Alder and willow
I'll plant it next to my invasive english ivy and see which one wins...
I've got privit, onion weed, rust weed and bamboo all fighting it out in gladiatoral combat
And winners reward will be acid ans fire followed by a salting of the earth after which the soil will be evacuated to the clay level before it is dumped in my neighbours yard (where all of these fuckers came from
Don't forget the Lilly of the vally, 3 way cage match ( or uncaged in this case )
Glad y'all warned me about mint! I'll just plant some nice snow-on-the-mountain in a small little patch over here.
See also horseradish, amaranth, native sunflowers, and in my case, tomatoes.
Planted once, 10 yrs later still finding them in every nook and cranny of the neighborhood.
I think most people would be happy with your luck with tomatoes
I got a weird twist of that: the cherry tomato plants were spreading like crazy, but the tomato fruits couldn't be eaten because they were all full of worms. (I think they were fruit fly larvae, not sure. Not a single one was fine.)
True, but I credit the environs being just right Enough sun, not too much moisture, decent soil, and also the specific variety. Probably a bunch of tomatoes I wouldn't be able to grow.
Somebody planted mint in one of my raised beds before I lived here and it's a constant battle to keep it at bay. At least I get refreshing mint tea out of the 20% of it I harvest.
I had mint on my balcony. This spring I saw mint grow around the corner. In my doormat!
I have no idea what I'm doing
Well they're not dead so you're already doing better than me.
Yet.
They're not dead yet.
This bamboo grove is really taking off!
I have a mint plant in my house, in a pot, that I simply cannot seem keep alive. It has a single stem left that’s trying its hardest to die every moment. I’ve taken it as a personal challenge to nurse it back to health (I need an easy win these days)
Last time I mowed, I noticed a new weed in the yard, popping up all over; this one smelled different, pleasant even. Fuck me, I’ve got a yard full of mint that showed up on its own, I’m guessing to mock my black thumb.
If you bought a supermarket pot you need to separate it and put it into a bigger pot. Otherwise it will cannibalise itself.
In fairness, if I were made of mint, I would also cannibalise myself.
Already done. It was actually a freebie supermarket plant my son picked up. The local store has a section where the ugly and dying plants are free. So we picked up a chocolate mint, and are trying to bring it back to life.
I had it nearly there, so I gently moved it to a bigger pot, with fresh new soil, and it promptly died. There was one single stem that was left that had gotten buried when I replanted it. Everything behind it died, but it must be trying to put some roots down at a buried node or something. It was floppy and I thought dead, but then decided to come back to life and is growing new leaves. Fingers crossed, I’m too afraid to touch them t right now, so I’m just keeping it watered and sunny and hoping it comes back.
I can always go get some from the yard :).
I have chocolate mint and I find its not as hardy as other varieties.
It does really well with fairly wet and shady conditions (I had it under my elevated rain barrels and it did great, but didn't spread beyond that) and poorly otherwise (since moving the rain barrels and exposing it to constant sun, it doesn't want to grow much at all, much less spread).
Idk how much that’ll help your quest, but perhaps it will :)
Haha! That's such a stupid thing to do. That's why I've only planted a blackberry in my garden.
I planted a blackberry plant 2 years ago, and it's grown maybe a couple inches since I planted it. I'm annoyed - I wanted blackberries! The raspberries took off, so that's nice. I just planted them all in the yard so I can mow down any that grow where I won't want them.
It's ALMOST worth it for fresh Blackberries that actually taste like blackberries. Not that trash in the grocery store.
Wait...
Hahaha. You poor soul.
Wait, do blackberries also grow like weeds? I've never had much interest in gardening, but like the one plant I'd genuinely like to have, due to loving the fruit, would be blackberry
Blackberry is evil.
If it is not native to your country don't plant it! Nothing eats it, grows extremely quickly and is very hard to get rid of.
If I ever did get one, I'd probably want to grow it indoors anyway, if that's even possible. I'm more a city person and dont especially desire living somewhere with lawn space to maintain
Sounds like you'd be interested in hydroponics.
I mean tell that to all the birds eating my blackberries.
They are spreading seeds.... That is the point of the berries.
Nothing eats the plant.
Even goats, which famously will eat blackberry, will eat anything else first.
Blackberries grow in thick brambles with nasty thorns. It also has a hardy root system that allows it to regrow if you just cut it down. They also spread a few feet per year, so keeping them contained is a constant (and often painful) battle. If you go too long without paying attention to it, your entire yard will be a mess of thorny brambles that are nearly impossible to kill.
The bramble types do. They'll spread out a few feet every year and new plants will pop up everywhere. They're hard to prune because of the nasty thorns, and as long as there's roots, they'll grow back.
You can get a thornless variety that's much easier to contain. I have one in my front yard that hasn't spread at all.
They grow as brambles and grow thick.
It will take up any and all space it can.
You won’t have to worry about kids playing in your yard, but they’ll be in it for berries
Make sure to try to find a thornless variety. Blackberry thorns will wreak havoc on your body and your clothes
Extremely hardy, hard to kill, and spiders love them. But the fruit is delicious!
They are evil incarnate
Oh no, I planted Bamboo trees to avoid issues
“A species of bamboo”
Bamboo looks way better than blackberry, I made sure to plant a ton of it in various parts of my yard.
The funny part is that clumping bamboo actually makes a great privacy hedge. It’s leafy, grows in thick bunches, very quickly hits like 10-20 feet tall (depending on the variety), and doesn’t rapidly spread. So it can be a great option for people looking for a perimeter hedge or property divider.
The tricky part is that most bamboo isn’t clumping. Most is running bamboo, which rapidly spreads, doesn’t grow very tall, and will break past basically every barrier (like sidewalks and landscaping stonework) that most other plants would be stopped by. It’s also extremely difficult to kill, because it stores nutrients in the (extremely wide) root system. So even if you cut it down, it’ll just grow right back again somewhere else.
And plenty of people have accidentally planted running bamboo, thinking it was clumping bamboo.
Personally I love https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolvulus_arvensis, it's flowers are so cute! The neighborhood is blooming!
We just bought a house last year and now are currently dealing with a garden full of bindweed and creeping bellflower. It's fairly daunting but also kind of addicting trying to dig it all up.
you guys make a lot of fuss about a plant that is tasty and you can eat.
I just wish Kudzu tasted half as fun.
I doubt it is nutritious though
if you're talking about Kudzu, it must have some value in that regard, it was introduced in the US during the Great Depression as a way to feed people. turns out though, when they aren't starving, people won't eat just anything.
I meamt mint, actually.
https://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Kudzu
I'm aware it's edible, I'm saying it doesn't taste good.
Have you tried pickling it? I'm amazed at the number of ways humans have developed to make things that taste awful taste slightly ok.
There's no accounting for taste. Some people eat canned fiddleheads. There's gotta be someone out there that just loves the stuff.
Yeah, my buddy's goat
fun fact: if you plant oragano next to mint, it will take on a minty flavor.
the tomato mozarella salad I made was... interesting
A similar thing happens with fennel and dill. The result is something that tastes like a weaker mix of both and the fennel doesn't grow a bulb.
That’s so cool
Crystal cool - Holly
Oooohhh noooo, not mint!! How can I ever live with a yard of short, lush, green, plants that smell nice when I cut them, keep pests away, and give me an endless supply of ingredients for drinks and desserts? It's going to cover up all my regular grass that I can't do shit with and benefits no one!
It’s going to cover up all my regular grass that I can’t do shit with and benefits no one!
If it only replaced regular grass, it would be fine. Problem is, it'll choke everything in its path, including parsley and roses aaand I hope you won't miss that chamomile patch, because it's now mint.
Roses suck. Also, no.
Explain yourself right this instant young man!
Unless all you want to harvest is mint, it's not a good idea to plant mint in the ground. It takes over the whole field.
I was promised this when I planted mint in ground at my old house, and sure enough, the mint took hold. Alas, my insatiable appetite for mojitos was too much demand for the mint to sustain and I eradiacted it through overharvesting.
I have also experienced this tragedy. But not before discovering that a little catnip gives mojitos a nice flavor
Since I do not enjoy being randomly attacked, I don't mess with their stash.
weeds hate this one trick
Wow this grows really well!
…
Okay, I’m going to trim this back now.
…
How the hell did the mint get over there
would be the best smelling field tho
Oooh. I knew this but for some reason my brain went from "Th ground? Like soil?" to "if I'm not supposed to grow it in a pot of soil, am I meant to grow it on some sort of trellis setup?"
That's why I only plant horseradish!
Mint grows as hard as grass and weeds. Once you plant mint all you have is more mint
Mint grows better than grass, as it’s well suited for the environments most people try to grow grass. Which are environments not well suited for it.
Me to weeds in other pots: "Die! You are taking away nutrients and water from my precious plants!
Me to weeds in the mint pot: "You poor things! You are going to suffer."
Tried planting mint for several years in a row - seeds, transplants, nursery plants (yes those exist). All died. Finland is a harsh place.
Mint is succeptable to all sorts of fungal pathogens. Some pathogens like fusarium can remain in the soil for over 30 years as well.
BTW, experienced gardner here and I planted my mint in the ground. There comes a point where you no longer fear it and can control it.
It smells awesome when you mow. I will not apologize.
come on, now you have to make a mojito in a concrete mixer
So is Australia apparently. I've seen this joke a few times and the first time I had to ask what the hell it was all about. I've seen my share of gardens with mint in it and not only it doesn't take over everything, it's also very susceptible to insects. A fully grown plant will disappear over the weekend if the right caterpillars find it.
Lantana, now, that's a problem
Had mint take over the back yard of a rental in Melbourne. Was there for years before we got rid of it.
Interesting, I can't say I lived in Melbourne other than during a holiday visit. Maybe I should say NSW
all that menthol mint makes is a part of its defenses against insects specifically, and it works in europe. maybe it's better this way, because australia needs zero extra invasive species
Agreed
And it still grows like crazy on some random abandoned field in middle of nowhere.
It really depends on where you live, but I can see in certain areas it going absolutely insane.
My neighbors mint spread to an area of my driveway that is comprised of (from bottom to top) weed barrier, 8 inches of CA6, and 2 inches of river rock.
Needless to say, we've been finding excuses to make as many mojitos as possible.
Does it smell nice when you drive over it? Does it allow rainwater to percolate? Can your vehicle get sufficient grip and support?
I guess maybe you're worried it will dislodge the rocks and make the surface uneven? Because otherwise it seems like a non-problem. If you make a point of squashing the tallest bits each time you won't even have to cut it.
Im not worried about it. The driveway is primarily a concrete slab, with the aforementioned river rock acting as a sort of decorative strip along the edge. It sure does smell nice.
Mint is a keter-class SCP, don't let it escape containment
Not a gardener but I definitely don't know
If it didn't smell so good and taste so great in ice cream, it would be a weed.
The only difference between an herb and a weed is how tasty it is. The only difference between a wildflower and a weed is how pretty it is.
It's just whether you want it there or not.
A rose bush in a corn field is a weed!
Technically anything can be a weed if it’s growing where it’s not wanted.
Mint will take over anywhere you plant it.
I tried planting it and it just dies lmao. Spearmint on the other hand has a huge bush in its corner already..
We have a rose bush like that which can't be killed. Bitch had a cement truck parked on it for 2 hours and it just shrugged it off.
had the same problem. I dug down to the root and poured a cup of copper acetate crystals on it and buried it. never saw it again.
for context, it was growing out from under my garage concrete slab and was in an awkward spot.
I'm seeing a lot of debate right now with no solutions. GROW THE FUCKING PLANT NEAR THE WINDOW. KEEP IT INDOORS. If you're growing a non-native species for human consumption, KEEP IT INSIDE. If you can, the best place is above the Kitchen sink window. If you don't have that, you might have to tent.
The sink window is really nice because the plants are easy to water and they have plenty of sunlight.
Sumac (Rhus) has entered the chat
Kudzu has entered the chat
Skyrim stealth archer has entered the chat
I don't see anything. Must have been the wind.
Bamboo raids the chat
I planted Reynoutria japonica to get rid of my mint plants. I did not go to plan.
Did you also swallow a flie?
Next up: kudzu
Someone will have a fuckload of mint in their garden! And only mint.
Oh no YOU DIDN’T!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh hey that's Eric!
That's why you always plant it next to strawberries and blackberries.
