Between 2 to 5 inches tall/wide
Mint and chocolate? Why would you ever grow any other mint variety again? Chocolate mint is as chocolatey, minty and scrumptious as it sounds. You can bake it in cakes, add sprigs to mojitos, and even use it in your beauty recipes. But more on that later. You won’t regret picking up this herb at your local farmers market. When the sun warms its leaves, your garden will smell just like a peppermint patty. Yum! Get a plant now and enjoy chocolate mint goodness all summer long.
Chocolate mint prefers cool temperatures. It needs sun, but doesn’t like extreme heat. Look for the sweet spot for growing chocolate mint: An area that gets a few hours of morning sun, but stays shady in the afternoon.
Chocolate mint doesn’t need a lot of fuss. It mainly just likes its soil to stay moist. Water your chocolate mint regularly to keep it happy. Your plant will likely survive a few dry spells, but don’t let it dry out too often. Other than that, just let it grow!
Chocolate mint grows like a weed. It spreads quickly, forming creeping underground root systems and taking over your garden. Keep your chocolate mint in containers to prevent it from spreading. If you do want to plant your chocolate mint straight in the ground, use this method to keep it from taking over: Place the chocolate mint in a deep bottomless container and set the plant (container and all) into the ground. This will keep its roots from overrunning neighboring plants.
As a perennial plant, your chocolate mint will come back next year. The leaves will die during the winter, but the plant will be back. You’ll see shoots form the next spring. To prepare your plant for winter, mulch around the herb before the first frost.