- Author: Ann Edahl
There are hundreds of varieties of mint. The two most common are peppermint (Mentha piperata) and spearmint (Mentha spicata). Peppermint is used mostly for cooking, flavoring, and oils — for example, in gum, soaps and candy. Spearmint is often used fresh, such as in teas, other drinks and sauces (mint sauce, anyone?).
Other mint types that are usually easy to find include apple mint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. And yes, chocolate mint, a type of peppermint, really does smell like a chocolate mint when you rub a leaf between your fingers!
Mint is a hardy perennial, meaning the plant comes back every year, and it can handle temperatures well below freezing. Depending on the variety, mint plants grow about one- to two-feet tall. They can grow in lots of different types of soil but prefer rich soil. Mint grows in full sun to part shade and needs moderate water. Its ability to thrive in part shade is a plus for many gardeners.
Although mint is often disease and pest free, it can be susceptible to rust and powdery mildew, two diseases caused by fungi. Some insects can also cause damage to mint, including aphids, leafhoppers, thrips, spider mites, mint caterpillar and mint root borer. See the University of California IPM (integrated pest management) mint page, linked below, for more information and tips on controlling these diseases and pests.
How do you grow mint? Mint spreads naturally by runners, by what we call “layering” — where the mint begins rooting where the horizontal stems you see growing above the soil surface touch the soil. You can also grow mint from seed, by dividing the plant and with root cuttings — mint roots in water quite easily and you might even have luck with rooting it by sticking a stem of mint directly into the soil. Which brings us to the biggest point to consider when deciding to grow mint: its tendency to spread easily and fast!
Mint is vigorous and will spread rapidly if there is no physical barrier to stop it. To help prevent mint from becoming a nuisance, the solution is to plant it in a container. The pot should be at least six inches deep, and placing a saucer or some type of paver between the pot and the ground will prevent the mint from eventually escaping through the drainage hole. You will want to give it a good watering when the soil is dry, especially during the heat of the summer. The smaller the pot, the faster the soil will dry out. But even if you wait too long and the mint wilts, chances are it will come back. It is one hearty (and hardy) herb!
Or you can grow mint in the ground but in a large pot buried in the soil. When burying the pot, do not bury it flush with the soil, but make sure to leave a one- to two-inch lip sticking out of the ground. This will help keep the mint contained. Even then, be on the watch for mint runners trying to escape over the lip since it really, really wants to spread! Also, if planting mint in a container in the ground, make sure it's a sturdy pot. Terra cotta is okay but may disintegrate over time. Five-gallon-size paint buckets are the perfect size, deep enough that the roots of the mint cannot easily escape. Be sure to add drainage holes on the bottom if you go this route.
Now that you've planted your mint, you'll soon be ready to harvest! It's best to wait to harvest after the plant has reached three to four inches. Young leaves will have the best flavor although you can harvest at any time. To conserve the flavor in the leaves, pinch off any flowers that form.
And you're set! On our next 100-degree day, go out in the morning, pick some of those mint leaves — spearmint and apple mint are two of my favorites — steep them for a few hours in a pitcher of ice water and get ready to be refreshed!
Read more:
UC IPM. Pests in Gardens and Landscapes: Mint — Mentha ssp.
UCANR Cooperative Extension–Sacramento County. Environmental Horticulture Notes: Culinary Herb Profiles. EHN 70.
- Author: Cynthia Zimmerman
"We're not talking about one hungry plant here, we're talking about world conquest." – Seymour, Little Shop of Horrors.
There can be undesirable consequences to the establishment of invasive species. Invasive weeds often are responsible for drastic changes to native ecosystems, such as interfering with natural habitat and food sources for animals, causing wildfires to be more frequent and intense, and lowering water tables by invasive trees that have deep rooting systems. Some plants even alter soil chemistry making it difficult for natives to survive.
These invasive species move out of their home ranges into new areas either by wind, birds or animals, or with human assistance that may be deliberate or accidental. This has been happening since the beginning of time. Humans have deliberately, and at times inadvertently, moved plant species from one region to another. With the development of high speed travel that doesn't take months to circumnavigate the globe, plants move with ease into areas where they were never before known. At times, plants that were once desirable and beneficial while under human control in gardens become a problem as they escape and start to colonize and breed in areas where they are not wanted. According to the California Invasive Plant Council, “The spread of invasive plants is one of the most significant threats to the native plant species and vegetation communities of the state, second only to habitat destruction.”
It's up to all of us to take some responsibility for reducing the problems caused by invasive species. One simple step is careful selection of garden plants by using species that are not likely to be invasive. The following plants are at the top of the list of invasive plants that should not be planted in California:
- Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
- Green fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum)
- Mexican feather grass (Stipa/Nassella tenuissima)
- Highway iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis)
- Periwinkle (Vinca Major)
- Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Instead of the above listed plants, try the alternatives shown on the Plant Right invasive plant website.
For a list with pictures of suggested non-invasive plants for California, take a look at Plant Right's better plant choices.
For further information about invasive plant species and what you can do to help, see the following websites:
Don't Plant a Pest! Central Valley
Don't Plant a Pest! California Invasive Plant Council (cal-ipc.org)
Invasive Plant Checklist for California Landscaping (pdf)
The 39 Most Invasive Plant Species in California
16 Invasive Species Sold at Garden Centers You Should Never Buy
Native Plants and Invasive Species
(Originally written April 2021. Updated May 2024)
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
There are many types of “good bugs” commonly found in the garden or landscape. In integrated pest management (IPM) we refer to “good bugs” as “natural enemies” or “beneficial organisms”. Natural enemies can include insects, but also mites, pathogens, and vertebrates like birds and lizards. They can kill or reduce pest populations by feeding directly on the pest, parasitizing the pest, or infecting the pest with a pathogen, reducing the need for pesticides.
Keep an eye out for the common natural enemies listed below and learn to recognize their egg and immature stages too!
- Lady beetles (ladybugs). There are about 200 different species of lady beetles in California. Many species feed on soft-bodied pest insects like aphids, soft scales, mealybugs, whiteflies, mites, and psyllids. They will also eat pest insect eggs and larvae.Four syrphid flies around a poppy flower in a garden. Photo by Belinda Messenger-Sikes, UC IPM.
- Soldier beetles (leatherwings) adults feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Their larvae live in the ground and feed on pest eggs, larvae, and pupae in the soil.
- Lacewings feed on mites, aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, mealybugs, psyllids, scales, and thrips! While some adult lacewings can be predacious, their larvae are most useful in pest control.
- Syrphid flies, also called hover flies or flower flies, resemble bees and are pollinators. Their larvae feed on aphids, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied insects.
- Assassin bugs can feed on caterpillars and other larvae, as well as adults and nymphs of beetles. They are known to attack just about any insect, but can bite people if provoked.
- Spiders. While many people fear spiders, they can actually help control many pests in and around the home and garden. Flower spiders, jumping spiders, and wolf spiders are examples of common beneficial garden spiders.
To learn more about natural enemies, see these resources:
- Pest Notes: Biological Control and Natural Enemies of Invertebrates (fact sheet)
- Natural Enemies Gallery
- Natural Enemies and Beneficial Insects: What Are They? (webinar)
- Author: Jeannette Warnert
The summer months in Fresno County are ideal for garden soil solarization, an environmentally sound way to kill weeds, insect pests and soil pathogens with free and naturally abundant solar energy. No pesticides are used in the process.
The greenhouse effect of the sun's rays on clear plastic can heat up the top 12 to 18 inches of the soil to as high as 145 degrees under perfect conditions. Excellent pest control can be achieved by maintaining the soil at 110 to 125 degrees in the top 6 inches, according to the UC Integrated Pest Management Program. The hot soil environment will kill such pests as nematodes, grubs, cutworms, beetles and snail eggs. Disease pathogens, such as fungi that cause verticillium and fusarium wilt, die.
There are downsides. Solarization requires taking garden space out of production during the growing season for 4 to 6 weeks, but future garden success is likely worth the sacrifice. The process may also kill some beneficial soil organisms, though UC IPM reports that many beneficials survive solarization or quickly recolonize the soil afterward. Earthworms, often present in healthy soil, burrow deeper to escape the heat and return when the treatment ends.
To solarize soil, smooth an area and water uniformly to 12 inches deep, then cover it with clear plastic. Rolls of clear plastic “drop cloth” are available in the paint sections of large home stores and online. Thin plastic (1 millimeter) provides greater heating but is susceptible to tearing; slightly thicker plastic (1.5 to 2 millimeters) is better for windy areas. Secure the plastic tightly over the soil with shovelfuls of soil, lumber, rocks, landscape staples or anything that will keep the breeze from catching the edges. Leave the area undisturbed for 4 to 6 weeks or longer in cooler temperatures or if the area is shaded part of the day.
After solarization, the bed can be planted immediately with seeds or transplants.
Fresno County Master Gardener Emily LaRue is solarizing a garden bed at the program's demonstration garden, 1750 N. Winery Ave., Fresno. The Garden of the Sun is open to public visitors from 9 to 11 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
For more information on soil solarization, see the UC IPM Pest Note: Soil Solarization for Gardens & Landscapes.
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
While preparing your garden for planting this spring, you may have found white grubs in the soil. Discovering these fairly large, white grubs can be alarming, but they usually won't cause significant plant damage.
Grubs are the soil-dwelling larvae of beetles in the Scarabaeidae family, also simply called scarabs. They are generally curled in a C-shape with whitish bodies and 6 legs. Grubs of some species may be less than 0.5 inch long, while other species may be up to 2 inches. Some grubs feed on living plant material while others do not.
Masked chafer beetle grubs are often what people find in garden beds in California. If you find large grubs in compost, those are likely the larvae of the green fruit beetle (also commonly called figeater beetle and green fig beetle). Japanese beetles are not usually present in California, but there are a few small hot spots under eradication efforts by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
In most cases, the presence of grubs does not require pesticide treatment and populations of 6 or less per square foot won't cause significant damage. If you notice them in your garden beds, they can be hand-picked and killed. Some may choose to feed them to their backyard chickens or leave them out for wild birds. Beneficial nematodes can be applied to control grub infestations.
To learn more about common white grubs, visit https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=56797