Collecting and saving mint seeds means that you’ll have plenty of seeds to sow the following year and you can share the seeds with your gardening friends.
In this article I’ll show you step by step how to collect seeds from your mint plant.
There are many different types of mint including spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint and the process of collecting and saving the seeds is the same for all mint varieties.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read the disclosure for more info.
Mint is a popular fragrant herb that is very easy to grow and can become invasive if it’s allowed to spread in the garden.
Mint plants bloom in summer and the flowers can be white, light pink or purple, depending on the variety of mint.
How to collect mint seeds
After the plants have finished blooming, leave a few flowers on the plant until they turn brown.
Snip the flowers off with a pair of scissors and place them in a paper bag to allow them to dry out.
Leave the paper bag in a cool, dry place for about two weeks.
Remove the dried mint flowers from the paper bag and crush the flowers with your hands to release the seeds.
Gently blow to remove the debris and you’ll be left with the mint seeds.
Use a small envelope to store the seeds, making sure to write the date and type of seeds on the front of the envelope.
Place the mint seeds in the envelope, and store it in a dry, cool spot.
You can also place the seed envelope in the refrigerator which will help the seeds stay viable for longer.
Planting mint seeds
Mint seeds can be planted directly in the garden or in pots after the last frost of the season.
You can also start the seeds indoors in late winter and plant them out in the garden when the temperature has warmed up.
Choose a spot in the garden that is partially shaded and sow the seeds about ¼ inch (6 mm) deep.
Mint seeds are tiny so if you plant them too close together you can always thin them out later.
Keep the soil moist and the seeds will germinate in 10 to 15 days. [1]
Mint is a very low maintenance plant that will easily spread out so it’s a good idea to grow it in a container or a section of the garden where it won’t overtake your other plants.
Water the plants regularly but try to avoid wetting the leaves to reduce the likelihood of fungal diseases.
Harvest sprigs of fresh mint from the plant as you need them and cut the plants back in fall when they’ve finished flowering.
So there are my tips for collecting, saving and planting mint seeds.
RELATED ARTICLES
- 12 Perennial Herbs For Your Herb Garden
- 10 Beautiful Flowering Herbs
- 9 Best Herbs To Grow Indoors
- How to Collect Parsley Seeds
Have you tried harvesting mint seeds from your herb garden? Let me know in the comments below.
Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Home Gardens and Gardening Tips that you may enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook.
