Choosing your mint
Mint Varieties for Kratky
Every mint grows well in a Kratky container, but they don't taste the same or start the same way. Here is how the common varieties compare, and which one to pick for what you cook or drink.
The short answer
Which Mint Should You Grow?
If you only grow one mint, grow spearmint. It is the mint most recipes mean when they say "fresh mint": sweet, mild and good in everything from tabbouleh to iced tea. If you mostly want tea, grow peppermint, which is sharper and has a cooling bite from its higher menthol.
All the varieties below share the same Kratky needs. They like a dark container, the base of the net pot touching the nutrient solution at the start, bright light, and frequent cutting. What changes from one to the next is flavor, leaf size and how you get the first plant. Our main Kratky mint guide covers the setup itself.
1mint per jar
Side by side
Common Mint Varieties Compared
Grown the same way, these are the differences you will notice in the kitchen.
Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
Sweet, mild, the all-purpose cooking mint. Grows true from seed, and nursery plants are easy to find.
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
Strong and cool, the classic tea mint. It is a hybrid that rarely makes good seed, so start it from a cutting or a plant.
Mojito mint (Mentha × villosa)
Soft, citrusy flavor without peppermint's bite. Sold as a plant; take cuttings to make more.
Chocolate mint
A peppermint type with a cocoa-like scent and dark stems. Good in desserts and hot drinks. Cuttings only.
Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens)
Fuzzy, rounded leaves with a fruity, gentle taste. Pineapple mint is a variegated form of it.
Starting each one
Seed, Cutting or Nursery Plant
Spearmint is the only common mint that is easy to grow from seed. The seed is tiny: press it onto a moist rockwool cube or starter plug without covering it, keep it warm and bright, and expect sprouts in one to two weeks. Seedlings are slow for the first month, so it can be two months before the first real harvest.
Peppermint, mojito mint and chocolate mint should start as cuttings. Seed sold under those names often grows into a different-tasting plant, because the hybrids don't come true. A single stem from a nursery plant or a friend's garden roots in water in about one to two weeks. See growing mint from cuttings for the steps.
Buying a small nursery plant and rinsing the soil off its roots also works, but cuttings are cleaner. Soil carried into the container brings algae and root rot with it.
1-2weeks to root
One variety per container
Why Not Mix Mint Varieties?
Mints cross easily and spread fast. In a shared Kratky container the strongest variety, usually spearmint or peppermint, fills the root space and crowds the others out within a season. The flavors also blur if you harvest them together.
Keep one variety per container and label it. A row of small dark jars, one mint in each, takes little more space than one big tub and keeps every flavor distinct. Mint is also best kept away from other herbs entirely; mixing herbs in one Kratky container explains why.
teaor mojitos
Keeping them true
Labeling and Keeping Each Mint Variety
Mint varieties look alike once they are growing, especially spearmint, mojito mint and apple mint. Label each container when you plant it, with the variety and where the cutting came from. When you take cuttings to start a new container later, take them from a labeled plant so the variety carries on unchanged.
If a container starts to taste different from the way it did, a stray seedling or a cutting from the wrong plant has probably crept in. Start again from a cutting of a plant you know. A small collection of three or four mints in labeled jars, one for tea, one for cooking and one for drinks, covers almost every use.
FAQ
Mint Variety Questions
What is the easiest mint to grow with the Kratky method?
Spearmint. It grows true from seed, roots quickly from cuttings, and tolerates a wide range of light and temperature.
Can I grow peppermint from seed?
Rarely well. Peppermint is a sterile hybrid, so seed sold as peppermint often grows into a different mint. Start it from a cutting or a nursery plant.
Which mint is best for tea?
Peppermint for a strong, cooling cup; spearmint or apple mint for a milder one. Chocolate mint works well in hot chocolate.
Does variety change how big the container should be?
Not much. Every mint grows a large root mass, so use the largest dark container you have room for. Mint roots filling the jar covers what to do when they outgrow it.
Do different mints need different nutrients?
No. A standard hydroponic nutrient for herbs or leafy greens, mixed as the label says, suits every variety.
Related Mint Guides
Picked your mint? Start it from a cutting, or read what happens when its roots fill the container.