🌱✗ Tested and false“Mint needs a sunny spot or it won't grow”
Mint is one of the most shade-tolerant herbs, growing well in partial shade and preferring moist but well-drained conditions. In full sun it needs more water.
What to do: Give mint partial shade if you have it, particularly in the afternoon. Full sun works but demands more watering. The one thing mint genuinely dislikes is dry soil.
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- RHSGrows in full sun or partial shade; prefers moist but well-drained soil
“All mint is basically the same herb — just plant whichever one's cheapest”
There's a genuinely wide spread of species and varieties with distinct flavours, not shades of the same taste: spearmint and peppermint alongside apple mint, chocolate mint (described as tasting like an after-dinner mint), pineapple mint, Moroccan mint and lime mint, plus real differences in leaf size, texture and plant habit between them.
What to do: Choose by use rather than grabbing whatever's on the shelf: spearmint for general cooking, apple or pineapple mint for a milder fruity note, chocolate mint for desserts. Grow more than one in separate containers if you cook with mint often — they're different enough to be worth it.
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- RHSThere are many species and varieties of mint to choose from, including spearmint and peppermint, but there are many other flavours, including lime mint, chocolate mint, apple mint and banana mint; chocolate mint tastes like after-dinner mints
“Mint grown in shade tastes better than mint in the sun”
No trial exists comparing the flavour of shade-grown and sun-grown mint. The claim circulates among herb gardeners but appears to be based on the observation that shade-grown leaves are softer and more tender, which is a texture point rather than a flavour one.
Our read Mint in partial shade does produce softer, larger leaves because the plant is reaching for light. Whether that translates to better flavour is unmeasured and probably subjective. Grow it where it thrives and pick it young, which matters more than sun or shade.
What to do: Pick leaves before the plant flowers, when the oils are strongest. Harvest regularly even if you do not need it, because cutting back encourages fresh growth and delays flowering.
🌱✓ Evidence supports it“Plant mint straight in the ground and it'll take over the garden”
Mint spreads aggressively by underground runners, so the advice is to plant it in a container or a bottomless bucket sunk into the ground to contain the roots. Left unchecked, it will colonise a bed in a single season.
What to do: Sink a large pot or bottomless bucket into the ground and plant mint inside it, leaving the rim above soil level so runners cannot climb over. Lift and divide every few years as the container fills with roots.
In Scotland: Scottish rainfall and cool summers make mint more vigorous here than in the south, which is saying something. The container is not optional.
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- RHSPlant in a container or bottomless bucket sunk in the ground to restrict root spread
“Stick a supermarket mint sprig in water and it will root and give you a whole plant”
Mint roots easily from stem cuttings in water. Softwood cuttings are a standard propagation method for mint, and a healthy supermarket sprig treated the same way will usually root within a week.
What to do: Strip the lower leaves from a 10cm stem, place in water on a windowsill, and pot it up once roots are a few centimetres long. Choose organic or unsprayed mint if possible.
In Scotland: A windowsill-propagated mint plant started in spring will be ready to go outside by June and will establish fast in Scottish summer conditions.
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- RHSPropagate by softwood cuttings or division; roots readily
“Never plant mint in the ground — it will take over your whole garden”
Mint spreads aggressively by underground runners, and once established in open ground it is genuinely difficult to remove. The advice is to plant in a container or a bottomless bucket sunk into the soil to contain the roots.
What to do: Plant mint in a large pot or a container sunk into the ground with the rim above soil level. If you want a mint bed, use a barrier at least 30cm deep. Tug out runners that escape each spring.
In Scotland: Mint's vigour is amplified here by moisture and mild temperatures. A single plant in open ground can colonise a square metre in a single Scottish growing season.
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- RHSPlant in a container or bottomless bucket sunk into soil to restrict spreading roots
