Growing Mints for the Buns! And Having Troubles!

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Boz

Boz

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, Wisconsin, USA
I've been trying to grow spearmint for about a month and a half. My first planting of it never came up. I bought two new packs (and brand) which was spearmint and peppermint and tried again. Nothing's came up.

I read starting mints from seeds is hard but once they are started they are fairly easy. Do you think if I bought pre-grown ones and planted them it would be okay for the bunnies to still eat?

Do you have any tips to growing mints? I'm trying not to use any chemical fertilizer things. I've only used worm castings and plain potting soil to grow my plants so far.

Thanks! :D
 
I've given up all together on planting from seed. Just never works for me!

I usually buy the already starting to grow mint, and man does it grow like a WEED! Mine bushed out like crazy. They usually explode with growth once they've started, so I would try one that's pre-grown and see how that works for you.
 
haha! I heard it "Grows like wildfire".
I saw some chocolate mint at a garden center I wanted to get that since I've never seen chocolate mint seeds but I wasn't sure if I should. I might now.

Thanks for your input! :D
 
I grew mint one time from a four inch pot bought at the plant nursery and it went totally out of control. I'd suggest starting with a plant, not sure how seed would do.
 
I never tried growing mint from seed, I always got the little plants from the garden center.

One warning about mint, though: Keep it CONTAINED!!!!
ones it grows, it will spread like crazy, and take over your yard. I am STILL trying to remove some that had gone wild in our yard. It keeps on coming back up. As long as there is even a little piece of root, it will grow back!
 
Thanks both of you!
I was hoping you'd reply Hilde, since you helped me with my last gardening issues! I'll have to post pictures of all my plants so far. Just about everything is doing great! (one that's not is obviously the mints! :p)

Anyway, I plan on planting the mint in a huge pot my mom is letting me use and this:
P4176333.jpg


I think (before we moved into the house) that it used to be a sand box. I cleared it out and dug about 7 inches of sand out. Since this picture I've added top soil. The mint is going to be in the front half of where the board is. Though, I'm worried that might not hold it on just it's half! Will it spread a lot this year yet? Otherwise I might put something else that's an annual with it.

You know what also really spreads? Raspberries! Ours are all over! :p Me and my dad dug up several plants and moved them to another area in the yard that he fixed up for them today. We are hoping they transplant okay and we'll have another patch of raspberries! :biggrin2:

Sheesh! I have become a real gardening fanatic!

Thanks all for your help!
 
im growing my mint in a pot by my front door in an effort to stop it taking over the garden. i fear that even this may not be able to contain it:biggrin2: i lift the pot regularly to make sure that the roots arent working their way thru the tiles!
 
Yep i would go for the pre grown stuff....it's so much easier

I'm going to be doing the same thing as soon as winter will befinished here....i have alway's wanted a veggie garden as well....the only thing for me is going to find somewhere that is bunny proof lol

Not all of my bunnies will eat mint though....they screw their nose up at it.

 
Well I went and got a peppermint plant. I wasn't expecting it to look like what it look like but I bought it anyway. Then I realized what the word geranium meant and it was a Geranium Peppermint (Pelargonium tomentosum) plant! :p
It smells really good. I kept smelling it and got a headache.

Do you think the rabbits can eat it (leaves, flowers, stems and all)? I know rabbits can eat Geraniums.

So I continue to be on the hunt for actually mint plants!
 
peppermint,spearmint is best purchased as a plant and planted in a garden..however-the real question is feeding it to rabbits,please read up on this as it is well worth the health of your critters,.sincerely james waller
 
Hi James! I've read it all over that rabbits can eat mints! :p

Anyway, does anyone know if the rabbits could eat the Peppermint Geranium (leaves, flowers, stems and all)? I know rabbits can eat Geraniums (but I don't know what parts).

And hopefully I'll be going to get some chocolate mint tomorrow! :D Rabbits can have Chocolate mint right?
 
I didn't think rabbits could eat Geranium actually (could be wrong). Because wild geranium contains geraniol, while a small quantity won't hurt them, it can be toxic if fed as part of their diet.

I think I am right in saying that rabbits can have chocolate mint, although I have never given my buns any (haven't seen it anywhere lol!)

Any ideas? Could be totally wrong.
 
It's on the "safe flowers" list, so it's probably safer to assume that means "flowers only". I wouldn't feed anything else of the scented geraniums.
Usually, even if most of the plant is mildly toxic, the flowers don't contain the toxins. They last such a short time, and they are meant to attract rather than repel, so most plants don't bother making them toxic. BUT, there are exceptions to that, so I'd stick to the ones on the "safe" list.
Besides, just because they're not toxic, doesn't mean they taste good :) Don't be surprised if your bunnies don't want to eat the geranium flowers.

As to planting the mint in the wooden "box", the roots (or, runners) will still dig underneath, unless you dig the board down quite deep. Best thing to keep mint contained is an actual pot.
 
I was thinking that it wouldn't hold well. :p

I wouldn't mind a lot of it as I hope to give some to my grandma for her tea and use it for other things! Maybe a should see about making a garden just for my mints! :p

I do have a big wooden pot my mom gave me which will stay on the deck! I could use that. Would be very contained! :p
 
jcottonl02 wrote:
I didn't think rabbits could eat Geranium actually (could be wrong). Because wild geranium contains geraniol, while a small quantity won't hurt them, it can be toxic if fed as part of their diet.

Wild geraniums are actually not the same as the "garden cultivated " plants that are also called geraniums. Wild geraniums are "cranesbills", while the scented plants that are also called geranium, are actually pelargoniums.

Geraniol btw is also found in many other plants and oils, and even in fruit flavours. Not sure that the cranesbills (or "true geraniums") contain it.

But yes, I don't think you should feed the pelargonium to your bunnies.
I think I am right in saying that rabbits can have chocolate mint, although I have never given my buns any (haven't seen it anywhere lol!)

Yes, buns can have chocolate mint. Just make sure it is the mint variety (with the "Mentha" part in the name), not the coleus vaiety that is also sometimes called "chocolate mint"

Any ideas? Could be totally wrong.
Click to expand...
 
Whooo! I got mints!

I got Spearmint, Peppermint, Oregano, and Chocolate mint! I got the first three at Shopko and they were ON SALE for 2.99. We went to a garden place yesterday and got the Chocolate mint for $2.50 not on sale! For now on I'll go there.

We also got a Munstead Lavender and a Thai Siam Queen Basil.
Can the rabbits eat those? My mom actually bought them for herself but the Basil had four little plants in it, so I took one and the Lavender, I can grow a plant myself from a clipping.

They also had...
Apple Mint, Lemon Mint, I think they also had Moroccan Mint (but I can't remember exactly what the name was, I know it started with an M!) And I thought a few others but I can't remember.
Some more they had were...
Lemon Balm, Sage, Purple Sage, Different Basils (forgot the names), Variety of Oregano, and a bunch of other herbs. I'll have to write them all down next time! :p

Anyway, can the rabbits eat all that I listed above?


EDIT: Oh yeah, and the Chocolate Mint does smell like Andes Candies!
 
Hazel-Mom wrote:
jcottonl02 wrote:
I didn't think rabbits could eat Geranium actually (could be wrong). Because wild geranium contains geraniol, while a small quantity won't hurt them, it can be toxic if fed as part of their diet.

Wild geraniums are actually not the same as the "garden cultivated " plants that are also called geraniums. Wild geraniums are "cranesbills", while the scented plants that are also called geranium, are actually pelargoniums.

Geraniol btw is also found in many other plants and oils, and even in fruit flavours. Not sure that the cranesbills (or "true geraniums") contain it.

But yes, I don't think you should feed the pelargonium to your bunnies.
I think I am right in saying that rabbits can have chocolate mint, although I have never given my buns any (haven't seen it anywhere lol!)

Yes, buns can have chocolate mint. Just make sure it is the mint variety (with the "Mentha" part in the name), not the coleus vaiety that is also sometimes called "chocolate mint"

Any ideas? Could be totally wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Ah very informative! Thanks. I see- yes I was talking about garden geraniums. So rabbits can't have them?
Yeah I thought I was kinda right lol.

But they can have wild geraniums. Check.

Tbh I would never feed my buns anything that I wasn't 100% doubly checked over positive they could have them lol, so it's okay. Ere of the side of caution.

Wow chocolate mint- maybe I'll have to buy sum 2 see if my boys enjoy it. :D


 
jcotton, I wouldn't give them the wild geraniums either. Like I said, I am not sure whether they have geraniol in them, or any other (mildly) toxic substances. I just haven't researched them.
They can probably have the flowers, yes, but I wouldn't give them any of the other parts.
 
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