Seeds 20 Seed (Mentha × villosa)

Mentha × villosa, often called apple or Cuban-style mint, is a lush, vigorous mint loved for its broad, soft, slightly hairy green leaves and a rounded, gently sweet aroma that is milder and less sharp than common spearmint. That smooth, refreshing scent is exactly why it is the leaf of choice for mojitos, iced tea, fruit salads and cooling summer drinks, while its handsome spreading habit also makes it a generous, fragrant filler in pots and borders. Grow it once and you will have a steady supply of fresh leaves to muddle, infuse and garnish.

Planting

This mint is easy to raise from seed if you remember one rule: the seed needs light to sprout, so press it gently onto the surface of moist growing media and do not cover it. Start indoors in spring, roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your planting-out date, keeping the medium consistently moist and well lit. Seedlings usually appear in about 10 to 14 days at around 22 to 24°C (about two weeks at 20°C). Once they have several leaves, pot them on into a 7.5 cm container. Move young plants outside only after all danger of frost has passed, choosing a spot in full sun to partial shade with at least 4 to 6 hours of light a day. Space plants about 45 cm apart (30 to 45 cm) in rows around 45 cm apart; mature clumps reach roughly 45 to 90 cm tall and spread aggressively by underground runners, so a container or sunken barrier helps keep them in check.

Fertilizing

Mint thrives in rich soil that is high in organic matter, so work plenty of compost or well-rotted manure into the bed before planting to feed the plants and improve drainage; aim for a soil pH of about 6.0 to 6.5. In ground that has been well amended this way, the plants may need no extra feeding at all. Where you do feed, apply nitrogen from spring through early summer to match the flush of active growth. Go easy, though: too much nitrogen pushes out soft, sappy growth that draws in spider mites and aphids and can make disease worse.

Care

Keep the root zone consistently moist but never waterlogged, and never let the plants wilt between waterings. Water the soil directly rather than the leaves to limit foliar disease, and water deeply instead of giving frequent light sprinklings; drip irrigation is better than overhead sprinklers. Watch for mint rust, aphids and spider mites (the latter favoured by hot, dry conditions and excess nitrogen), along with leafhoppers and soil-borne verticillium wilt, which is best avoided by using healthy planting stock; a strong jet of water or insecticidal soap will knock back aphids and mites. Harvest shoot tips and individual leaves once plants are established, as the young, soft tips carry the most intense flavour, and cut often to keep growth bushy. Pinch out any flower spikes to preserve leaf quality; if the plant does flower, cut the whole clump back to about 5 cm from the base to bring on fresh growth. In Egypt the best times to establish plants are autumn (September to November) and late winter to early spring (February to March), avoiding the peak summer heat of June to August; in hotter regions give afternoon shade and steady deep watering through the hot months, and divide established clumps every 3 to 4 years to keep them vigorous.