Suffolk Herbs Green Mint Seeds

There is nothing quite like going out to your garden and picking your own freshly grown herbs to use in your dinner or to put into a summer drink. Mint leaves are used for the traditional mint sauce to go with delicious roasted lamb or made into a mint tea. Mint is particularly tasty for adding to the water when boiling new potatoes such as Jersey Royals. Yummy! Once established though, the roots can be invasive so plant out with care or alternatively, plant into pots (which would be ideal for your patio). Mint can grow to a height of about 60cm (24"). When to Sow: March to April. Where to Sow: Sow seeds under glass 0.5cm (¼") deep, in small trays of compost and lightly cover the seeds with a sprinkling of compost, and place at a temperature of 15-20°C. What to do next: Prick out seedlings individually to 7cm (3") pots, once large enough to handle. Grow on in cooler conditions, then gradually harden off plants in a cold frame before planting out after risk of frost has passed. Transplant to final positions 30cm (12in) apart or into larger containers in a semi-shaded part of the garden. Cut the leaves, as required, a few from each plant so that they will regrow quickly. Leaves can be frozen for later use. Harvest: They can be harvested for at least six months of the year when grown outside. The leaves at any time. For drying, harvest the leaves before the flowers appear. It pays to cut the top leaves first, because this will encourage the plant to shoot out again further down the stem. Do not strip the plant of all its leaves. Handy Tip: Harvest the leaves before the plants flower. Best planted in containers sunk in the ground to prevent the creeping roots from spreading around the garden.