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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 5, 2022 15:44:45 GMT -5
This mint patch has been growing since sometime in the 80s. It was a weed, when I first bought the house, but I got rid of that (not quickly!), and planted some in a bed surrounded by concrete! I've tried a number of mints, but spearmint is the only one that took over, and also my favorite. A few peppermints come up in the left section every year, but it's not as vigorous. Here it is on 4-17 when I made my first mint iced tea of the season! Something I wait for every season, almost like the first ripe tomato. Mint is growing fast! Some of it is 6 inches tall already, and it is filling out the area, as usual. April 17, 2022 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Here's that mint patch yesterday, showing how it totally filled in, and about the same time as last season. I have done nothing to it, except scratched a little kelp fertilizer into it, before anything came up. And there are only 2 weeds visible in the entire patch - maybe some clover underneath, but that's it! It chokes everything out. Mint patch 6-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr One of two weeds visible in the mint patch. 6-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Mint
Jun 5, 2022 23:19:11 GMT -5
Post by september on Jun 5, 2022 23:19:11 GMT -5
I've often wondered which kind of mint goes into a Mint Julep? Recipes always just say mint. So many kinds.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 8, 2022 9:17:45 GMT -5
My DH does house flips for a living and his current house has a back yard full of mint. He said that he was considering bringing some home because it smells so good.
I told him to quit considering and leave it right where it is. I like the smell too but mint plants will NEVER behave and stay where I want them.
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Post by rdback on Jun 8, 2022 9:21:21 GMT -5
brownrexx, I've got a patch of mint I've been trying to get rid of. Going on 19th year now, lol.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 8, 2022 10:47:33 GMT -5
That's why I have my mint in a bed surrounded by concrete!
When I bought the house in '83, there were small patches of mint that made me want to grow it, once I tried it, but I had to put it somewhere contained! Took a few years, but I got rid of them in the back - just had to dig them up any time I saw them. Strange thing is, even though they flower, they don't spread that way - I never have seen a single plant in my lawn, on the other side of the walk, or anywhere, from seeds.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 9, 2022 10:06:44 GMT -5
I have been fighting an invasive weed, Canada Thistle for years to no avail. 2 years ago I tried digging it out every time I saw it but it is STILL popping up in my garden. It is mostly contained to a small area at one end but I don't want it spreading so this year I have a new plan. Every time I see one of them I put a brick on top of it. I have lots of bricks that I sometimes use to hold down screening or row covers so I just take one and put it on top of the seedling.
As tough as this plant is, it doesn't seem to be able to grow through a brick. Of course I occasionally trip and stumble over a brick but it seems to be working and I love to see those sickly, withered seedlings under the bricks!
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Mint
Jun 17, 2024 15:22:31 GMT -5
rdback likes this
Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 17, 2024 15:22:31 GMT -5
As always, the mint has taken over the bed, with little attention from me - basically all I did was put that drip line in, like I always do, before it starts growing, and eventually, when it stopped raining around here, set it to water every 3 days. Something I'm going to try using the mint against this year is that spotted lanternfly - a pest that has become a serious problem around here. It is even attracted to basil, which is unusual, for insect pests. So I might blend some mint with some water, then strain it, and use this to water and/or spray with, to see if it repels it from the basil, okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and anything else I find them on. I never found a single lanternfly in that mint bed. As usual, the mint had taken over by early June, much of it 18" by now. by pepperhead212, on Flickr On the shady end the peppermint - the larger leaves - gets a few more growths every season, but the spearmint is still the strongest. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Mint
Jun 19, 2024 10:27:37 GMT -5
Post by rdback on Jun 19, 2024 10:27:37 GMT -5
Let me know if it works pepperhead212. I don't have SLFs here yet, but they're less than 15 miles away. It's just a matter of time.
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