Mint.

Vigorous, perennial, and best given a channel of its own

Mint is a perennial herb sold fresh into drinks, cuisine and retail packs, with demand that peaks in warm months but never disappears. In a greenhouse it is grown for repeated cutting rather than as a finished plant, and spearmint is the type most commonly grown for the fresh trade.

The plant is vigorous and spreads by runners, which is an asset in a channel dedicated to it and a problem everywhere else. In a shared nutrient-film system it will colonise neighbouring channels if the layout allows it, so the system design has to contain it from the outset rather than manage it later. It regrows strongly after cutting, which is what makes the cut-and-regrow rhythm work.

Mint sits inside a wider herb programme as a steady base load beneath the faster short crops. What it asks of the house is separation: its own channels, and a layout that lets the rest of the programme be cleared and replanted around a crop that stays put.

DutchGreenhouses® designs the structure, climate and irrigation around the herb programme, including how a vigorous perennial is kept separate from the crops beside it. Get in touch to discuss a herb project.