Mint ...which kind is best

[kristin07035]

So I've been researching and learned mint is a great pest repellant.
But I'm no master gardener. There are many different kinds of mint & now i don't know which to plant.
Which kind is best as both a pest repellant & safe for the chickens

 

[lazy gardener]

Grow what ever kind of mint tickles your nose the most! Even among dozen pots of the same cultivar, you'll find one particular pot that is the most aromatic. Bring that one home. You can keep it in a pot, and keep the pot from direct contact with the ground. You'll have to divide and repot it every year. (Got friends?!) Or you can plant it in the ground in an area where you don't mind it spreading, or put it where you can mow around it often. Don't let it go to seed. If you want one that's perhaps a good pest deterrent, try lemon balm. I let that reseed freely because I love it so much. It is not as invasive through the root system as the other mints.

 

[flgardengirl]

Chocolate mint is my favorite. Most of my chickens won't touch it but I have one freeranging silkie hen who likes to freshen her breath after she eats every morning. She runs up to the mint pot and grabs a few bites right after breakfast LOL! I discovered that chocolate mint also does very well growing in water with the pot half sunk in a bog or side of the pond. It lives through the winter and doesn't fizzle out in the summer heat when grown in water.

I have some grapefruit mint that smells kinda nice too.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I like good old-fashioned peppermint. I grow mine near where our lawn meets our woods. Mint likes a bit of afternoon shade. When it creeps into the lawn, we just mow it along with the grass. Mowing never smelled so good!!

But the chickens, they won't touch it!

 

[ComerSmitley]

I have peppermint and spearmint. I tend to use the spearmint more in cooking, but I cannot resist the peppermint smell because it smells just like candy!

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I picked up several different kinds and planted them today. Chocolate, spearmint, sweet mint and bee balm. The bee balm is not as strong smelling as the other, but I liked it. No one had Peppermint, unless that is what the sweet mint is?

Bee Balm, while a member of the mint family and can be used for tea as well as medicinally, is more known for its flower than its scent. Mine is usually blooming end of June, beginning of July and the flowers remind me of "bombs bursting in air". It's also called Monarda and Bergamot and grows taller than most mints. It likes a bit more sun than most mints, too.

"Sweet Mint" is a new one for me as I've not heard of a cultivar with that name. Not sure what it is but would love to know. Does it smell like peppermint? Maybe it's a hybrid of some sort.

 

[NotoriousRIE]

I have spearmint, lemon balm, and bee balm. The lemon balm keeps pests away perfectly. I crush a few leaves and rub them on my exposed skin or toss a twig into the fire pit. They make a pretty tasty tea as well.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm not sure which mint is the best repellent, but I can tell you that chickens (mine and at least some others that I've read posts from) won't touch the stuff, so you probably needn't be concerned about safety. I wish they would/could eat mint. Maybe that would keep them from eating my lupines and columbine!

 

[Rosa moschata]

Don't plant mint in the ground! It will take over! If you want to try growing some, keep them in pots -- and keep the pots on pavement.

 

[kristin07035]

Yes I've heard it's very invasive.