Growing Berries and Cream Mint: A Beginner’s Guide

If you love fruity flavored mints, berries and cream mint is a must-try variety for your herb garden. This compact, floriferous mint combines a sweet, berry-like taste with classic minty notes. As a beginning gardener, berries and cream mint is an easy-care herb that will thrive with just a bit of attention. Here’s everything you need to know about growing this delightful mint plant at home.

An Overview of Berries and Cream Mint

Berries and cream mint (Mentha x ‘Berries and Cream’) is a hybrid mint bred by culinary herb legend Jim Westerfield. It forms a bushy mound about 1-1.5 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. The blunt, oval leaves are medium to dark green. In late summer, it blooms with clustered spikes of small mauve flowers.

The minty yet fruity scent and flavor of the leaves make berries and cream mint unique. It offers a milder, more subtle mint taste along with berry, peach, and cream notes. Harvest the young, tender leaves for the best flavor.

This compact mint grows best in full sun to partial shade and moist, rich soil. It can tolerate some drought once established. Hardy to USDA Zones 5-9. Deer and rabbit resistant.

How to Plant Berries and Cream Mint

When to Plant

Plant berries and cream mint in spring after the last frost Fall planting is also an option

Where to Plant

• Sun: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil enriched with compost
• Spacing: 12-18 inches apart

Starting from Seed vs. Transplants

Starting from seed can be challenging Transplants from nurseries offer instant gratification and less hassle

How to Plant

• Prepare soil with compost to improve drainage. Mint prefers moist soil.

• Set transplants at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pot.

• Water transplants daily until established. Mist leaves to increase humidity.

• Consider planting in containers to control spread.

Growing and Caring for Berries and Cream Mint

Watering

• Keep soil consistently moist. Mint enjoys evenly moist soil.

• Water whenever the top few inches of soil become dry. Provide 1-1.5 inches of water per week.

• Established plants have some drought tolerance but produce best with regular water.

Sunlight

• Grow berries and cream mint in full sun for maximum growth and flowering.

• Light afternoon shade also works well, especially in hot climates.

Fertilizer

• Apply balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks during the growing season.

• Work compost into soil in fall and spring.

• Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers that cause leggy growth.

Pruning and Maintenance

• Cut back flower spikes after blooming to encourage leaf growth.

• Remove any damaged growth as needed to keep plant tidy.

• Divide congested clumps every 2-3 years to rejuvenate.

Propagating Berries and Cream Mint

• Take 4-6 inch stem cuttings in spring or summer. Remove lower leaves.

• Root cuttings in water or moist potting mix. Keep humid.

• Transplant rooted cuttings once established.

Tips for Growing Flavorful Berries and Cream Mint

Here are some useful tips for maximizing the flavor and growth of your berries and cream mint:

• Harvest leaves frequently by pinching stems above leaf nodes. New growth will be most tender and flavorful.

• Always harvest mint leaves before flowering for best flavor.

• Cut back any flowering stems to encourage leafy growth.

• Provide consistent moisture, especially when harvesting frequently. Mint needs water to keep producing new growth.

• Plant in partial afternoon shade in hot regions to preventbolting and bitter flavor.

• Apply an organic mulch like wood chips to maintain cool, moist soil.

How to Use Berries and Cream Mint

The fruity mint flavor of berries and cream makes it perfect for both sweet and savory uses:

• Add chopped leaves to fruit salads, salsas, lemonade, smoothies, and chilled soups.

• Use as a garnish in fruit-based cocktails like mojitos.

• Make mint infused syrups for topping desserts and drinks.

• Mix into creamy dips, marinades, dressings, teas, and sweets.

• Pair with berries, stone fruits, melons, figs, chocolate, yogurt, or cheese.

• Use leaves sparingly in cooked dishes added at the end. Heat diminishes mint flavor.