Here's a good question from reader Jen on growing mint indoors in the winter. We are longing for some fresh mint too, so we're doing some research.
The dreary, overcast weather in Athens, Ohio has me longing for warmer weather (and a mojito!). Our local farmer's market and grocery stores don't usually carry fresh mint except in the summer. I was wondering if you had any recommendations on growing mint indoors (where to get it, how to plant it etc..).
Jen, we'd like to grow some fresh mint too. We can find it in small packets at Whole Foods and such, but it usually has black spots and is a little limp. Mint is best fresh from the garden. Mint is also a good potted plant; in the garden it tends to take over and is quite invasive. We like to keep a big pot of it going in the summer.
We don't keep it in the winter, however, and we turned to our gardening friend Jennifer Bartley to ask about growing it indoors. Jennifer is the author of Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook and blogs at American Potager.
She told us that mint needs a sunny window. It may get a lanky as it stretches for the light because it really prefers full sun. Ohio gets so little light in the winter (we know!) that it may be difficult to give it enough. You can try using grow lights as well. But try a sunny window.
Jennifer also suggested trying curly and flat leaf parsley, which both tolerate less light and may do better indoors.
As far as growing mint, we suggest using a large, deep pot like the one below in order to allow it to grow wild. Mint will really sprawl!
You can purchase mint seeds at a garden store and start them yourself. You can also look at organic grocers for small plants; transplant these to a larger container and give them plenty of sun. They should take off fairly quickly. We have always had good luck with mint; it just loves to take over whatever container it's in!
You can also purchase mint plants online here: Amazon mint plants and seeds listings
More indoor gardening
• How To: Make a One-Pot Indoor Herb Garden
• Self-Watering Pots for Your Herbs
• Petit Coco Herb Pots from Three Potato Four
• Garden 2007: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
(Image credit: Apple Mint at Victorian Nursery)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Martha Concrete Lam...
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Jen, have you been to Bulk Foods Depot? They're on Radford Road, right off 50, as you head to Lake Snowden. They don't sell produce, but they might have a tip on someone who grows herbs in a greenhouse throughout the winter, that you could buy from. Same with Village Bakery and Cafe on East State. And with them, I imagine if they have a supplier, they might just sell you some out of their kitchen. Finally, you could ask at Casa if they have a supplier to deal with.
(All this by way of saying, my attempts to grow herbs through the cloudy Athens winter were total failures.)
If all else fails - AeroGarden. Its not the cheapest, but I love my fresh herbs and the mint is doing splendidly.
What kind of mint do people grow? Its the one herb i've always struggled with... i feel like the farmers market in summer always has 10 varieties of mint on offer and i don't know which one is the "standard" mint used for mojitos and such. And when i buy a package at the grocery store, they don't list what kind it is either! Help!
How often does mint like to be watered, once it is getting full light and has room for the roots to grow? I tried transplanting a bit from my parents' California garden and it dried and yellowed within a couple of weeks sitting on my very sunny desk in NYC.
I have grown some mint indoors, in a large pot (about 16" tall) in a semi-sunny window. Semi-sunny is the best I can do in my house. I transplanted it from a garden store in September. It's gone wild and it's pretty spindly, but the leaves still do the job. They're about as nice as you get from those plastic containers at the grocery store, but not as nice as a bunch grown outside. I water about once every two weeks, giving it a good dump but probably not soaking the whole pot. I'm hoping to move it outside when danger of frost has passed.
Quick! Call an editor.
In another story about houseplants that are hard to kill it is recommended that one try mint because i will grow in a bog and does not need much light.
Huh?
Outdoors it does well in a pot with lots of water and sun.
Whatever you do, do NOT plant it underneath a dripping faucet with a sunny location. It will take over.
Good stuff though.