Ruth gave me a large, low planter box, almost as a challenge. Where should I set it? How should I fill it?

In an earlier garden I’d planted mint, which was so happy it wanted to cover the world. I couldn’t let that happen again! Now I could plant mint where it shouldn’t escape. 

I decided that the deck was the best place, with morning sun lingering into early afternoon. No overhead tree branches shaded it. First, a thick layer of newspapers covered the bottom of the box. After wetting them thoroughly so they wouldn’t blow away, I laid an empty half-gallon milk jug, its cap on, on its side at each end, to lighten the box. 

Using pre-mixed potting soil (not dug out of the garden), I covered the newspapers and milk jugs to an inch or two below the top of the box before leaving it overnight.

I’d found a compact little peppermint, potted and ready to  go, in a greenhouse. Bringing one small plant home, I moved it (out of its pot) to the middle of the big box and spread its lower stems after nicking each underside. Opened paperclips served as small earth staples to hold the little twigs in place. Then I watered the mint. This is a way of increasing many herbs while they’re still on the mother plant. Later, I snipped the little sprigs — now growing on their own — from the original.

How dull! Now I filled the empty space with “Cut-and-Come-Again” zinnias, to flower in many cheerful colors.

The next year, I’d turn the box into a small herb bed, using summer savory, several kinds of basil and an overwintered rosemary plant. Some pinks would add spicy fragrance. A clump or two of chives and a little marjoram would fit right in. 

Later, as the mint spreads, it will take up more space. Pot some for May plant sales. Harvest mint to dry for winter teas or summer juleps. Dig through older clumps to spread it where you want it. Never let it escape from the box, and you’ll have a fine stand of mint for all occasions.