What To Do With Mint In October – 6 Essential Tricks For Healthy, Long-Lasting Plants

Mint is one of our best loved and most reliable herbs, and there so many varieties to grow. You can use it in teas, chop it into salads or sprinkle it over a huge range of dishes. To keep it at its best, a few fall interventions are advised, just to keep it perky and to encourage it to burst back into life with renewed vigor next spring.

October is a key month in the mint-growing calendar, and while mint is one of the most easy-going garden herbs, needing little more than an occasional trim, you can get so much more from this tasty plant with a few timely late-fall tricks.

Learning how to grow mint is simplicity itself, but making the most of its harvest with a drying tool like this simple hanging mesh herb drying rack from Amazon will take your herb-gardening game to a whole new level. Here are more of my expert tips for what to do with your mint plants in October.

Prune Back

In late fall, mint, like most other plants, is entering a period of dormancy. So it makes sense to cut it right back, thus directing the plant's remaining energy into preserving a health root system rather than attempting any new growth at a time when that foliage is likely to be scorched by winter frosts.

Pruning back mint in fall is a simple job. Just take a pair of clean, sharp pruners, like the Corona ComfortGel stainless steel snips from Lowes, and chop back all of the stems to around 2in (5cm) from the soil.

Don't throw away these stems and leaves – we'll get to what to do with them later. For now, pop them in a bag, whatever kind you have to hand will do.

Clear Away Debris

At this time of year, there's plenty of dead and decaying organic matter lying around the soil around your plants. It's here that insect pests and fungal spores can overwinter. So it's a good idea to have a little clear-up around your mint plants after you've cut them back. It will stand them in good stead for the coming year.

With a garden cultivator or trowel, scrape gently around the crown of your plants, removing any fallen leaves, mulch or weeds. You can throw these on your compost heap. It's worth mentioning here that most varieties of mint are completely hardy, and tolerate temperatures down to 5°F (-15°C) without problem.

If you live in an area where you expect temperatures to dip below this, then do give your plants a fresh 2-4in (5-10cm) layer of mulch after removing the built-up debris from this year.

If your mint is growing in pots, extreme cold can freeze the roots solid, so wrap the pot in some bubble wrap or horticultural fleece. Alternatively, you can bring it into a greenhouse or to the shelter of a south-facing wall near the house.

Divide And Repot

If your mint plants are in any way congested, October is a great time to remedy this, as you can divide them up at the point they are going into dormancy without causing undue stress to the plants. Mint is just one of many plants that benefit from being divided up in October.

You'll likely be growing your mint plants either in a patio container or in their nursery pots sunk into the ground (this stops them getting out of control and taking over your flowerbeds). So, if they're filling their space, you'll need to either dig the nursery pot out of the soil or the mint plant out of your container.

If you're tackling a big old mint plant that's been in its container for a while, a hori hori knife can be super helpful: you can be brutal and just carve straight into the plant and soil to get it out.

When you're dividing any of your mint plants, you really don't need to worry about being gentle. Mint is tough, so hack the roots apart into as many separate plants as you like and once they're in their new pots (filled with a little multipurpose compost such as MiracleGro from Lowes) , they'll spring back into life.

If you have too many divisions, pot them up and give them to friends, remembering to label them. Do make sure anything surplus is left to dry out and die before adding it to your compost heap, or it will regrow.

Pot Up A Section For Indoors

One great little tip for this time of year is to pot up a section or two of your mint and bring it indoors. That way you'll get early shoots of fresh green mint to use in just a few weeks time, over winter.

Growing mint indoors isn't tricky. All you'll need is a bit of potting compost (any will do really, as mint isn't fussy). Pop it in a nice bright spot, such as a windowsill or conservatory, and you'll soon see new growth emerging.

Keep the compost damp but not wet, and harvest when you have enough leaves: perfect for the occasional cup of mint tea over the winter months.

Make Use Of Your Last Harvest

So you've cut back your mint plants and kept the clippings safe. What's next? Well, of course you can dry mint leaves to use in teas, dressings and dips – or even in bags of pot pourri to keep your wardrobe smelling beautifully fresh.

First you'll need to give the stems and leaves a wash in cold water to remove any dirt or insects. Then shake off as much water as you can (I use a salad spinner like this one from Walmart – also brilliant for everyday salads of course) or pat the leaves dry with kitchen paper or a tea towel.

The best method to preserve the flavor of mint is air drying. You can use a mesh hanger like the one I mentioned earlier, spreading everything out into a single layer and leaving it in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

In 7-10 days you should have properly crisp mint leaves (they need to crumble when crushed) that can then be stored in airtight jars or bottles – these mini Mason jars from Walmart are cute. It's also worth mentioning that these jars of mint can make great Christmas gifts, maybe as part of a homemade hamper.

What to Shop

Getting your mint plants in order in October is actually quite a fun job to do on a sunny autumn afternoon. It's really little more than a bit of light pottering.

And the big bonus is that you'll end up with your own dried herb supplies to add to the larder or to give away as gifts over the holidays.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?