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I'm trying to propagate my mint plant, intending to eventually transplant the main growth (maybe next year). For now, I've taken some cuttings and I'm waiting for them to root.

As of writing, it's now end of August. According to my local area notes, early frost is the first couple of days of October.

How close to early frost can I plant something like mint, which is generally hardy and resilient? Or rather, what is the right combination of age and time to early frost that will make my mint survive?

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  • Did you plant them outside, and did they grow back? :)
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Nov 7, 2015 at 2:52
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    @Shule I planted it outside, and that was the last I saw of it. I also repeated the same mistake this year with another mint; I removed half, but replanted it back outside and it died within a day (not from temperature, but from transplantation).
    – ashes999
    Nov 8, 2015 at 12:02

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Now we come back to your other question, which mint have you got. All mint varieties commonly available are hardy in your USDA zone, except one, which is Mentha x piperita vulgaris, common name Black Stem Peppermint, which is hardy from Zone 6 upwards. This one has almost purple stems with dark green, oval leaves which have a small, toothed margin. If you decide yours is not this one, then the next slightly more vulnerable one is any fruit scented mint (pineapple mint, etc.), which are hardy from Zone 5 upwards, but might mean it's better being planted in Spring rather than now. All the others should be fine if planted now.

UPDATE: If you're not able to decide whether its the slightly more tender variety, plant some and keep a couple inside - that way, if you lose those outside, you've got some stock left.

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  • Mine does appear to have purplish stems/stolon. Let me grab a picture, but I think I'll go ahead and plant it anyway.
    – ashes999
    Aug 27, 2013 at 22:59

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