Mint is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 90 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 11 and stands up to deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the harvest is the prize.
Mint — the short answer
Mint: grown in zones 3–11, part sun, pH 4.5–8.3, about 90 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 3–11
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 4a–9b
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8.3
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 90 days
- USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 30.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Mint on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether mint actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score mint against your land's real conditions.
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What Mint is
Mint grows as a perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms pink in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Mint
Mint grows in USDA zones 3 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting. Mint does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-11
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.3
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
39.2°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
90 days
Spearmint; aggressive perennial; propagated by division/cutting (not seed).
USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant mint in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Mint prefers pH 4.5 to 8.3 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Mint is ready about 90 days after planting (USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb). Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Mint thrives
On hardiness alone, mint grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 3 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–11 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 48 outright and splits 3 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Two different numbers hide in that range: zones 3–11 is where mint is GROWN, but it survives winter in the ground only down to zone 5 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Colder than that, it is grown as an annual or brought under cover.
Zones 3–11·Where Mint growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Mint stands, state by state
Mint is rated for zones 3–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 48 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–11
48 states
3 of 48 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Mint
Growing guides for mint
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — mint is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Mint offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest mint, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant mint for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Mint's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Mint will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether mint actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Mint
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Mint in my zone?
Mint grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 11. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Mint take to grow?
Mint is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting (USDA-NRCS; UMD-Herb). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Mint?
Most growers plant mint after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Mint need?
Mint does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Mint need?
Mint prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Mint attract pollinators?
Yes — mint's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Mint safe for pets?
Mint is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Mint
Mint state by state
Every state mint's zone reaches — 29 link straight to that state's mint growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.