Gardener shares crucial pruning hack for bountiful herb harvests during cold months: 'Mine has grown so much'

While the cooler months can present problems for gardeners, one person shared tips for how to prune mint to help keep it growing strong well into the fall.

The scoop

In a viral video, organic gardener Resh Gala (@reshgala) took to Instagram to showcase a tried-and-true hack for mint to thrive during colder months.

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A post shared by Resh Gala | Organic Gardener (@reshgala)

The video shows Resh heavily cutting back their mint plants to the stubs before covering them with an inch of compost and then watering them. Two weeks later, they showed exceptional growth. The video then cuts to four weeks later, revealing a forest of mint that can be enjoyed during the cooler months.

"I know you may associate mint with summer, but it grows extremely well in cool seasons of spring and fall!" Resh wrote in the video caption. 

How it's helping

It's expected that the tops of mint will die back in winter, but the roots are hardy. This means the hack allows the plant to flourish in its regrowth by preventing pests and diseases over the colder months. Not only will this encourage new growth by making way for fresh shoots, but it will also promote the bold fragrance and flavor of mint. 

Other gardening sources, like Bonnie Plants, highlight that mint must be replanted every three to four years to maintain top quality. 

With predictions that the United States will undergo a warm November, folks can still use this hack to preserve mint. Nevertheless, if the first frost is creeping into your area, Resh suggests covering the mint with a fleece fabric to guarantee that it will thrive throughout the late fall. 

Research has shown that those who garden throughout the year are far healthier than those who do not, both physically and mentally. By the fall months, researchers discovered a large difference between those who were gardening over those who did not, with gardeners enjoying about 1.4 more grams of fiber daily. Plants, such as the frost-tolerant mint, are partly responsible for promoting more fiber and overall health among gardeners. 

The benefits of growing your own food include minimizing waste and reducing one's pollution footprint while also producing about $600 worth of produce per year. Herbs, in particular, are a highly cost-effective crop worth the investment, as their resilience means less work for busy gardeners while still providing fresh, quality food year-round. 

What everyone's saying

The plant is so resilient that gardeners find they need to be careful. Indeed, the comments reflected the invasive nature of the plant.

"Mine has grown so much!" said one user.

Another emphasized the importance of Resh growing her mint in a container: "Love that you have it in a container because it is very invasive."

According to Utah State University, mint is known for "aggressive growth," so it's best to plant it in containers. The plant's resilience makes it very difficult to eradicate, and it has a tendency to "outcompete" other garden plants.

"Mint will survive the apocalypse," commented another user. Some have harvested so much mint that they wonder what to do with it. 

Resh had ideas that are great for fall, such as "drying its leaves for therapeutic tea or putting it into an ice cube tray with water and serving in winter cocktails."

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