With its rich chocolate scent and cool peppermint undertones, chocolate mint is a must-have herb for any gardener. This beautiful and useful plant is easy to grow once it’s established, but it will take some time and care to reach its full size. We’ll talk about everything you need to know to grow chocolate mint so you can enjoy its delicious taste and lovely smell in your own garden.
Getting to Know Chocolate Mint
Chocolate mint, or Mentha x piperita ‘Chocolate,’ is a cross between peppermint and watermint that was chosen for its unique chocolate scent. It has dark green leaves with purple edges and lavender flowers in the summer. When fully grown, the plant can grow up to 2 feet tall and wide.
This sterile hybrid mint cannot be grown from seed, so you’ll need to start with a young plant purchased from a nursery or propagated from a cutting Chocolate mint is winter hardy in zones 5-9. It spreads vigorously via underground rhizomes and aboveground runners once established.
Caring for Young Chocolate Mint Plants
When you first bring home a young chocolate mint plant, it will likely be in a 4-6 inch pot. Select a site for it in partial shade where it will receive 4-6 hours of sunlight daily. Mint thrives in moist, well-draining soil enriched with organic matter. Space plants 18-24 inches apart.
When you plant new chocolate mint, water it often so that the soil stays moist but not soggy. During the growing season, use a balanced organic fertilizer once a month. Cut back any flower stems to encourage leafy growth. Take your time, because the plant may not be fully grown for a full growing season or even longer.
Getting Chocolate Mint to Mature Size
To get your chocolate mint to reach its full 2 foot height and spread, you’ll need to provide ideal growing conditions, especially ample moisture and partial shade. Here are some tips:
- Water 1-2 inches per week including rain, keeping soil consistently moist but not waterlogged
- Mulch around the plant to retain soil moisture and reduce weeds
- Fertilize with organic balanced fertilizer 2-3 times during spring and summer
- Prune back any flowering stems to promote leafy growth
- Harvest leaves frequently to encourage new growth
- Provide afternoon shade if possible
- Repot in early spring into a larger container or area of the garden
- Be patient! It can take over a year to reach mature size.
Caring for Fully Grown Chocolate Mint
Once your chocolate mint plant has reached its full mature size, you’ll need to do a bit of maintenance and care to keep it happy and productive:
- Water thoroughly when top inch of soil is dry. Provide 1-2 inches of water per week.
- Fertilize in spring and midsummer with organic fertilizer
- Prune back flower stems to prolong harvest season
- Harvest leaves often to stimulate new growth
- Watch for pests like spider mites and treat organically
- Repot or divide congested plants in early spring every 2-3 years
- Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and reduce weeds
Harvesting Chocolate Mint
The key to keeping chocolate mint plants productive is to frequently harvest the leaves. You can begin harvesting when the plant is at least 4-5 inches tall. Always harvest by pinching or cutting the stems just above leaf nodes to promote bushy regrowth.
The minty flavor is strongest just before flowering. Try to harvest in the morning after the dew has dried for maximum flavor. Fresh leaves will retain scent and flavor for 4 days refrigerated. They also dry, freeze, or infuse into oil very well.
Enjoying Chocolate Mint
Once you’ve grown and harvested a bountiful crop of chocolate mint, it’s time to enjoy its unique flavor and fragrance. Here are some of the many ways to savor this special herb:
- Add leaves to desserts like ice cream, brownies, cakes
- Make chocolate mint tea, hot or iced
- Use in cocktails such as mojitos and juleps
- Infuse in vinegar or olive oil for cooking
- Season lamb, fish, and chicken dishes
- Garnish fresh fruit and salad with chopped leaves
- Make chocolate mint sugar by blending dried leaves with sugar
- Create refreshing chocolate mint water by muddling leaves in cold water
With its intoxicating chocolatey notes, this beautiful mint is a must for herb gardeners and cooks alike. Follow proper care and growing guidelines, and soon you’ll have abundant chocolate mint to harvest and enjoy all season long.
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How to Get Chocolate Mint to Bloom
Mint plants usually flower in late spring or early summer when the heat gets intense with pink to lavender-colored panicles of blooms. The little flowers look like tiny knots. Bees and pollinators are attracted to its blooms. The flowers are not known for their scent; the leaves are the sweet-smelling star of this plant.
If growing this plant for its flavorful leaves and culinary uses, you will want to cut down buds before they flower. By allowing a plant to flower, the plant puts its energy into flower production, reducing the intense flavor of the leaves.
If you want to get your mint to bloom and it isnt, make sure to feed your mint during the growing season using a balanced fertilizer.
Another reason your plant fails to bloom could be that the container is too small, and the roots have become root-bound. To prevent a plant from becoming root-bound, repot in a new container 2 to 3 inches wider. A new pot should increase the growth rate and may encourage flowers.
Overwintering
If you live in hardiness zones 3 to 5, potted chocolate mint can overwinter outdoors with some protection. When you cover the mint bed with coarse mulch, straw, shredded wood or bark, it will keep the soil warm.
In its hardiness zones, chocolate mint does not require any assistance to make it through winter.
HOW TO GROW CHOCOLATE MINT, tips, history, companion planting (Mentha x piperita)
FAQ
How big does chocolate mint get?
Chocolate mint plants typically grow to be about 1 to 2 feet tall and spread 1 to 2 feet wide. They can grow up to 3 feet tall in some cases according to Buchanan’s Native Plants.
Does chocolate mint come back every year?
Yes, chocolate mint is a perennial plant and will come back each year after dying back in the winter. Mint plants are generally hardy and can survive cold temperatures.
Will chocolate mint spread?
All types of mint (including sweet mint, spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint) are fast-growing, spreading plants, so you must give them a place to ….
Is chocolate mint rare?
It began as a simple assignment: find a little information about chocolate mint and report back. It’s a common-enough herb, available at the farmers’ market. Like most mint, it will overrun a garden given half a chance.