How to Harvest and Prune Mint

Once you’ve bought some of our fragrant and refreshing Mint, you’ll want to know how to harvest it! That’s why we’ve put together this step by step guide on how to properly prune and take leaves from your Mint plants. Keep reading to learn exactly what you need to do to keep both you and your herbs happy.

How to Harvest Mint

The place to start is by deciding which leaves you are going to take, so you need to know which ones to choose. Of course, remove any crunchy or yellowing leaves, as taking off dying parts of the plant keeps it healthy. Once all the unwanted leaves are cleared, you can get to work with picking the nice ones.

Best Mint Leaves to Harvest

The leaves you are looking for are the ones at the very top of the plant, that’s the newest growth. To take from the top, just go down the stem until you reach the next set of leaves, then use a pair of scissors to cut just above that next set.

Over Pruning Mint Plant

Over harvesting is a worry that you’ll probably have, but pruning your Mint will encourage growth and won’t harm the plant, unless you take too much. To make sure you aren’t harvesting too much of your Mint, don’t take any more than one third of the plant. This herb grows between March and October and you can harvest anytime between those months. You should also try to preserve some of the new growth to ensure enough life is left in the plant.

But let’s say you only wanted a few leaves? Then just take a couple of the larger ones, whilst trying to stay as close to the top of your herb as possible, it’s that simple.

Maintain Your Mint Plant

If you notice that your Mint is growing very tall and you want it to stop, you should prune your plant. First, work down from the top and keep going until you reach a set of leaves that will make your herb the right height, and cut. You could also get a bigger pot, so that your Mint can grow out rather than up, or try moving it to a sunnier spot, if you think that a lack of sunlight is causing the plant to reach.

Difference in Mint Varieties

The method above works for all Mint varieties, so here’s some additional information to help you with your harvesting:

Apple Mint

Apple Mint has more of a fuzzy appearance compared to Garden Mint. It also has a crisp, sweet taste to it. The new growth is the most flavourful part of the herb, so take those leaves to get the freshest, fruity taste.

Chocolate Mint

Chocolate Mint is a deeper colour, particularly in its dark brown stem. Its aroma is chocolaty and it has a slight orange flavour to it. Mint herbs can be harvested by taking from the set of leaves that are one inch above the ground, but not more than that.

Moroccan Mint

Moroccan Mint has a slightly sharper, and jagged look to its leaves. It also has a strong, sweet taste to it. If you’d like to preserve some of your Mint leaves, you can freeze them in ice cubes, or quickly rinse them, then chop up the leaves and place them in a sealed bag in freezer.

Peppermint

Peppermint has that cool, refreshing taste and smell to it. Like other mints, Peppermint spreads out a lot as it grows, so avoid growing each variety too close together. Mint plants hybridise, which means they’ll become the same plant if grown too close to other Mints, making them lose their different fragrances and tastes. To control spread, plant your Mint herbs in large, bottomless pots, as this will prevent their roots from shooting too far out.

To learn about the other herbs and varieties you’ll need to prune, stick with us. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about harvesting all your SEASON herbs!