Ina Garten Reveals The Easy Gardening Tip That Keeps Mint Under Control

Ina Garten may seem like a fabled celebrity chef, but she really only got started in the food business on the wings of a whim and desire. The Barefoot Contessa is not one to be particularly fussy or demanding. She's practical, really. It's not even that difficult to impress Ina Garten at a dinner party — you really just need to be welcoming and kind. She knows what she likes, and she's not going to make a big deal about it. Just like Julia Child, she's not a cilantro fan. Although she does like most herbs fresh, she'll take oregano dried, please. Just be sure to crush it in your palms to release the oil.

Mint, on the other hand, is garden-grown. She uses it in watermelon mojitos or to top a fresh fruit salad. Well, Garten-grown — outdoors, at least — just not amidst the open-land garden with the tomatoes and bell peppers, green beans, peas, or whatever else you may be growing. To get a handle on your fresh mint, Ina Garten recommends growing it in pots, so it doesn't take over the entire garden.

Mint can be a maniac when left to spread on its own. It grows mind-blowingly fast when left alone in a fertile, well-drained, moist environment. Once rooted from the base plant, mint doesn't even need a lot of soil to spread, thanks to its sturdy rhizomes. It can take over walkways or an entire garden. So, how exactly do you grow mint like Ina Garten?

The easiest way to start your mint is to get a small plant from the local greenhouse, although it can be grown from seed. Use a pot that's at least 12 inches deep and keep it nice and moist, but well-drained. If you want to "set it and forget it," and live somewhere that gets regular rainfall in the spring and summer months, you can simply plant it in a large pot and leave it outdoors.

Because mint grows so aggressively, it's best to relegate it to a pot. And even grown in a pot, you may need to keep an eye on your mint or it could escape. If grown in a pot over dirt, be sure to rotate the pot every week or so, so the roots don't grow out from underneath. And trim back the plants once they get to the edge of the pot, or the stems could take root in the ground surrounding it. Mint is perennial, so you can leave the pot outside in the winter and it will grow back come spring,

If you don't have a garden, you can even grow mint inside, just make sure it gets a minimum of four hours of sunlight a day and keep it moist but not wet — one of many indoor herb gardening tips. Mint is amazing in a homemade spring roll, a mojito, or delicious Egyptian-style lemonade. Just trust the countess with no shoes — Ina Garten knows how to keep your mint in check.