A gardener warns, this very popular plant can quickly become invasive in your garden. Fortunately, he shares his trick to avoid making this mistake.
It is an aromatic plant much appreciated by gardeners as well as cooks and barmaids. It can however become the sworn enemy of the gardener, even when it perfumes its exterior with its delicate scent. Rather than completely removing it from your garden and not taking advantage of this aromatic herb in your recipes, there is a very simple trick circulating on Tiktok and aimed at preventing the proliferation of… wild mint!
The Account Homespiff Gardener lbhomespiff posted a video on his TiktTok account that explains how to contain mint with just a shovel and bucket or jar. Two methods are explained depending on the scenario in which you find yourself.
How to prevent mint from taking over your entire garden?
The first case is simple: you have just bought a mint plant and you want to plant it in the garden. All you have to do is first plant the mint stalks in a pot or bucket of at least 7 litres, then bury the bucket in the chosen location. The walls of the pot will contain the development of the mint. If you’re using a bucket, remember to hole it in the bottom.
In the second scenario, your mint is already planted in your garden and it has started to spread everywhere. Don’t worry, the solution is just as simple. Using a shovel, dig up the mint stalk, then dig a hole big enough for the bucket or pot to fit in and place it in, then cover it with soil. The gardener then adds that “remove any mint sprouts that are not in the bucket” and “that in no time it should all be contained”.
Other users have also shared their tips in comments under the video. A first explains that he puts “a weed net fabric at the bottom to prevent the roots from pushing down and out”. Another explains that he uses the bucket method for oregano which can also become invasive.