Apple Mint
Key Facts
- Strong flavour great for tea or adding to salads.
- Easy to grow
- Takes about 2 to 3 months to grow
Background
- Originally from Southern & Western Europe.
- Fruity flavour than tastes a bit like apple (hence the name).
- Ideal for hot drinks (like tea) or adding to salads.
- Days from seed to harvest – about 60 (2 months)
- About 60 cm high
Example apple mint recipes
When you grow apple mint (like orange mint) this will tend to be for specific uses.
For example because it has a strong flavour it’s great for tea or adding to salads
In addition it’s often used as a domestic herbal remedy, being valued especially for its antiseptic properties and its beneficial effect on the digestion.
Typical recipe:
How to grow apple mint at home
It is a very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils and situations so long as the soil is not too dry.
Grows well in heavy clay soils. A sunny position is best for production of essential oils, but plants also succeed in partial shade. Sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually fairly quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Seed or Plant
In addition it is probably safer to start it using either a ready made plant, cutting or a plug plant. The reason is that mint is one of the herbs which is highly variable – and even using seeds from a reputable supplier you might still end up with a different type then the one you were hoping to grow.
Quick guide:
- Plant in individual pots
- Optimal growing temperature is 15 to 20 ºC
- And full sunlight or high levels of artificial light.
Great novelty and useful for a few speciality recipes. But I would only grow it if I had lots of space in the garden.
However… having grown it I changed my mind. Makes an absolutely lovely tea