薄荷種子撒下啦

春天了，今年準備在花盆裏種點什麽。首先想到的是薄荷。昨天買了點 spearmint 的種子，雖然很多人告訴我從種子開始種薄荷不是好主意，但我還是想試試。要是不成功的話，也無所謂啦。

從網上看了一些關於種薄荷的文章，比較了許多，覺得這篇來自 http://www.herbexpert.co.uk/GrowingMint.html 的介紹最好：

Mint is a fantastic herb to grow in the garden. It is easy to growand emits a wonderful scent when you brush past it. It can be used in avariety of dishes including roast lamb and salads and goes well withfreshly podded peas.

Mint is a hardy perennial and a voracious grower. It will do well inboth sunny and shady parts of the garden. It will also thrive in pots;in fact if you have a small garden it is recommended that you grow mintin a pot to prevent it from spreading and taking over the other herbs.

Varieties of Mint:
There are three main varieties of mint that people grow in theirgardens:

• Pennyroyal mint – the most common type of mint.
• Peppermint – with a distinct cool peppermint flavour.
• Spearmint – traditionally used in mint sauces.

How to Grow Mint

Mint can be grown easily from seed, or young plants sold at gardencentres. Mint is tolerant of almost all conditions, but it prefers awell-drained, fertile soil. However, mint enjoys a fair amount ofmoisture, so it will do better in a moderately shady position, wherethe soil won’t dry out as quickly as it would in a very sunny area.

Mint can also be propagated from its roots, or rhizomes. Simply takeapiece of root and pot it up in a small container, keeping it wellwatered. Leaves should begin to sprout within a few weeks and the smallplant can then be transplanted into the garden the following spring. Asmint is such a strong grower it is advisable to grow it in a containerto prevent its roots from spreading and potentially killing otherplants. You can sink the container into the soil so it appears that theplant is part of the herb bed, however its roots will be contained sothe plant will never be able to grow beyond the confines of the pot.

Caring for Mint

Mint requires little attention and willthrive in almost all conditions. However a mulch of bark or leaves willkeep the plant happy; it will provide nutrients and lock in much-neededmoisture for the roots. After the plant has started to flower theleaves will stop growing. It’s important therefore, to remove anyflowers that appear to keep the plant producing leaves right up untilautumn.

Pest and Diseases

Mint can be affected by rust. This can be a deadly disease for mintplants. If you notice orange blobs on the underside of your mint leavesremove the leaves immediately. However, if many leaves are affectedit’s best to chop the plant down to ground level and burn it. Freshleaves should grow without infection the following spring.Alternatively, remove the entire plant and start again (if you grewyour pot in a container then remove the soil and clean the pot with adisinfectant before replanting).

Harvesting Mint

Simply cut the leaves when needed, using a pair of scissors. Cut fromthe top of the plant (this will encourage new stems to shoot out fromthe sides). Never remove all of the leaves from the plant; this willhamper its growth.

Growing Mint in Containers

Mint is particularly suited to container growing, and will grow happilyin potting compost. Water the plant f the pot dries out and feed withan organic liquid plant food once a month during the growing season.

Mint is a delightful herb to grow in the garden and has many uses inthe kitchen. It is easy to grow and returns every year to provide youwith fresh leaves to add to new potatoes, fresh peas, and turn into adelicious mint sauce.