Mint Condition.

8-3-10 VERMONT: We have had two rainy, misty, humid days with intermittent showers, but only 0.2 inches of precip. I have not done much except a bit of weeding. We tried the corn again tonight. It’s almost ripe. The tomatoes keep coming, and we’re eating them every different way we can think of: salad, roasted, pies, sandwiches. August is the month here for garden corn, tomatoes and berries. I love it.

We have herbs in the garden also. I brought more basil inside today, just for the aroma. The thyme, as a perennial, has taken over one corner of the garden. Oregano is also a perennial, but less invasive. Mint, on the other hand, has taken over about five percent of the ten-acre pasture in about three or four large stands. It is tall, aggressive and nothing eats it. A few years ago, I eliminated one stand by mowing it and covering the area with black plastic. It took two years to kill all the mint underneath the cover. Then I seeded, and we have grass there now. Alternatively, it would take a ton of herbicide to kill it all, so I will get out the mower and cover again.

Would anyone like some mint? Will some genius please invent a martini that uses mint.

In its defense, the mint is a favorite of many pollinators including the monarch butterfly and continues to bloom through September when it’s covered in orange flitters.

New blooms: mint.


Mint, truly as high as a horse's eye. How many juleps can you drink?

These mint flowers are covered with bees and butterflies.