- Category
- Kitchen
- Light
- Partial sun
- Watering
- Every 2-3 days
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Mature size
- 30-45 cm, spreads aggressively
- Pet safety
- Non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Growing note
Roots from a cutting in a glass of water within a week and grows year-round in most Indian cities. Give it its own pot, since the roots spread underground fast enough to crowd out anything sharing the container.
Growing Mint in Indian apartments
Mint is one of the few kitchen herbs that genuinely does better with some afternoon shade than full sun once real summer heat sets in, leaves scorch and curl at the edges in harsh direct afternoon light even though the plant is often sold as sun-loving. A partly shaded spot, or morning sun with afternoon relief, keeps the leaves tender and usable for longer through the hot months. Because the roots spread so aggressively, a pot left sitting directly on soil or on a balcony floor with a drainage tray touching the ground below can root straight through the drainage holes into whatever is underneath, worth keeping the pot elevated on a stand or feet if that's a concern. Rust fungus, small orange-brown pustules on the underside of leaves, shows up often in humid monsoon weather; pruning out affected stems and spacing pots for better airflow controls it better than any spray does. Harvest by cutting whole stems back to a leaf pair rather than picking individual leaves off the plant, which pushes out two new stems from the cut point and keeps the pot bushy instead of leggy and sparse.