Many people are going to mention that it’s highly desirable to look for the best container for mint because this plant is quite famous for one thing.
Mint is an invasive herb that can spread quickly through runners, quickly developing an impressive root system. Thus, even if we grow outdoors, it’s still best to look for the best planters for mint to prevent this fragrant herb from overtaking our garden.
Most of us have limited space, whether we’re growing indoors or outdoors so we must plan accordingly. That means that if we’re growing outdoors, it’s best to contain this particular herb within a border. Using containers makes everything so easy.
While I love growing basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender and a few other herbs directly in the soil outdoors, I absolutely feel the need to grow my mint in planters both outdoors and indoors.
The main question we should answer when we’re looking for the right containers for our plants is this:
- do we need a porous planter that releases moisture more quickly (pots made of terracotta)
- or do we need a material that keeps the soil soggy for longer (plastic)
I would say that both plastic and terracotta planters can work very well for a wide variety of plants, mint included, as long as we provide the watering schedule a plant requires.
I would recommend plastic planters for mint because they’re cheaper and very good for this hardy herb.
Another thing I should mention is that mint is a perennial that can grow quite big over the years.
Even if you start with a 6 inch pot, you’ll end up needing maybe even a 20-inch container in no time.
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Best Containers For Mint Reviews
Now that we’ve established that we should all choose to grow mint in containers because it’s so much easier to do so, let’s actually review some picks for the best container for mint.
I also wrote an article looking for the best pots for snake plants. In that case, I combined both cheap and expensive options because decorative planters can be very important when we grow a plant as majestic as a snake plant.
In this case, I wonder just how many people are looking for gorgeous, expensive planters for herbs?
Herbs are mainly grown for consumption because they’re one of the most delicious ingredients to have in the kitchen.
That means that most of us are not going to pay much attention to how the planter looks as long as it’s the right fit for our plants. I will assume that most people are interested in functionality and in getting a good price.
However, maybe we’ll also try to find some gorgeous containers for mint because this is a beautiful plant that we might want to showcase indoors or outdoors.
If there is one thing that all mint planters should have in common that is drainage hole(s). We absolutely need drainage holes so that our plants don’t drown.
If we grow outdoors, saucers are not essential. However, if we grow indoors, saucers are a must have if we want to avoid making a mess.
By the way, we can also grow herbs hydroponically, it’s quite easy, in case you want to try something totally different from soil cultures.
1. Vivosun 5 Gallon Grow Bags: Best Outdoor Container for Mint
Is it surprising that one of my top picks for the best planter for mint is a pack of 5 gallon grow bags?
For some people, it’s going to be a bit surprising. Grow bags are not exactly the most attractive thing to grow plants in but they’re pretty much among the cheapest in this size range.
Of course, there are also downsides when using grow bags and we’ll cover it all.
Do they work both indoors and outdoors?
They’re designed for outdoors but there are people who buy them for use indoors with the necessary precautions to prevent water from spilling over our floor.
Many of us prefer growing herbs indoors, especially if we want fresh leaves in the winter. Growing herbs indoors is a must for most of us.
Thus, those who don’t know much about fabric grow bags will want to know if these containers are only used outdoors or if we can use them indoors, too.
Unfortunately, I have to disappoint a large part of you potential growers of beautiful mint plants.
We can only use grow bags outdoors because the water drains differently than how the water drains from plastic/terracotta pots that have drainage holes.
There are people who also use the Vivosun Grow Bags indoors, too.
However, you need something under them to keep them from leaking through.
While people choose to use them indoors, they’re clearly designed for outdoor use.
Size
Each 5 gallon grow bag measures 12.5 inches in diameter and 9.9 inches in height.
They’re really big, especially for herbs but they’re exactly what we need for an invasive plant like mint.
Besides buying them for herbs, people buy them to grow peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other big plants.
There are actually many sizes to choose from: 1 gallon, 2 gallons, 3 gallons, 5 gallons, 7 gallons, 10 gallons, 15 gallons, 20 gallons, 25 gallons, and 30 gallons.
For bigger plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, I would actually recommend buying the 10, 20 or 25 gallon grow bags.
For herbs, the 5 gallon size is really nice.
Features
Sturdy material is one of the main features that a lot of buyers mention about these Vivosun Grow Bags.
The bags are made of 300g of thickened nonwoven fabric.
They’re moderately permeable and BPA-free.
The nonwoven fabric enables great drainage, which is essential when we’re using fabric bags for our plants.
This nonwoven fabric doesn’t retain excess water and it allows the roots to breathe.
We also get handles for easily moving the bags where we want around our space.
The handles are just as sturdy as the fabric the grow bags are made from.
Last but not least, we can use and reuse the Vivosun Grow Bags for years. For a price around $20, we can buy a 5-pack of 5 gallon grow bags that can be used for many years to come. That’s what we call an excellent deal.
2. D’vine Dev Plastic Planter Pots XX-Large: Overall the Best Containers for Mint
From one of the cheapest options, we’re moving directly to reviewing one of the most expensive options that we could buy as the best container for mint.
Is the price worth it? As long as you can afford it, it is. This set of 3 plastic pots is quite impressive.
Sizes
I mentioned the XX-Large in the title because this is the main thing that made the D’vine Plastic Planter Pots to stand out for me.
However, there is actually an array of sizes to choose from. And the price differences between the various sizes are significant.
Thus, if you’re not prepared to spend $100+ on 3 XX-Large pots, then you can start off with smaller sizes.
We get 5 sizes to choose from. Each size will contain a set of 3 pots, all made of plastic.
The D’vine Plastic Planter Pots sizes are:
- Small: 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch pots for a price around $20
- Medium: 6 inch, 6.5 inch, and 8 inch for a price around $30
- Large: 6.5 inch, 8 inch, and 10 inch for a price close to $50
- X-Large: 8 inch, 10 inch, and 12 inch for a price around $100
- XX-Large: 10 inch, 12 inch, and 14 inch for a price around $130
And all sets can come in a variety of colors: matte black, matte white, speckled black, speckled gray, speckled white, and terracotta.
Terracotta is a color in this case, the material remains plastic for all color options and sizes.
Features
I love the cylindrical look of the D’vine Plastic Planter Pots. They look really great, although the XX-Large size is quite expensive. But at least we get 3 very big planters of top-notch quality.
The cylindrical design looks great and the saucers for them perfectly match the overall design.
Indeed, the trays are included but you can always expect that from D’vine Dev.
These are truly fit for any space. They’ll look wonderful even in fancy kitchens.
The plastic is thick and of the best quality. This XX-Large set from D’vine is not cheap and it doesn’t look cheap.
All pots have drainage holes. Even the drainage holes are nicely designed.
If you’re not prepared to spend all that money on the XX-Large set, choose a smaller set that matches your budget.
3. Homenote Plastic Planter: Cheap Mint Planters
I love these plastic pots from Homenote. And I love them for specific situations.
I would say that this set of small pots is good for a very limited period of time.
For example, if you’re not sure that you can successfully germinate mint seeds and grow the seedlings into a healthy plant, then this Homenote Plastic Planter set might be a pretty good first buy.
Once you see that your herbs are thriving, you can consider buying a much larger size.
Thus, beginners might actually prefer to spend less than $20 for a set of 5 containers rather than venture their first buy into large, expensive planters. I can totally see this set as a transitory one for beginner growers.
Moreover, even if our herbs outgrow these small plastic pots, we can still continue to use them for various other things.
We can use them to germinate various seeds until the transplants can be moved outdoors or in bigger containers.
We can use them for smaller succulents or for growing cactus. And to grow small transplants until they grow bigger and they require more adequately sized containers.
Size
There are 5 plastic pots in a set that costs under $20. That’s what makes the Homenote Plastic Planter set so popular and so loved by buyers. It’s quite highly praised by a large percentage of buyers.
The 5 pots measure: 4.5, 4.8, 5.5, 6, and 7 inches.
Well, germinate your mint seeds in the 6 inch and 7 inch containers.
You can use the other smaller sizes to germinate other seeds or to grow small cacti and succulents.
We also get a few colors to choose from: white, white with spots, grey with spots, black.
The white one is my favorite.
Features
In the description, the manufacturer mentions that these 5 different sizes pots are suitable for planting most small and medium-sized home/office plants: orchid, snake plant, mint, cactus, aloe, etc.
Thus, mint is mentioned among various plants. However, our mint plant will outgrow even the 7 inch pot at some point.
Still, you have time until that happens so that’s why I decided to recommend the Homenote Plastic Planter as the best container for mint and many other plants.
The plastic is also of good quality, it’s sturdy. We’re informed that the plastic used is 3mm to 4mm thick sturdy polypropylene. I have no complaints about material quality. I love it.
The whole set looks really good and it will last a long time.
I also love that we get multiple drainage holes in the bottom. That’s exactly what we need.
And we also get the trays to prevent the excess water from spilling over surfaces.
I really appreciate that the trays are included and they look really nice.
The size of the pots also allows us to place them anywhere. It’s a good set for smaller spaces, which is another reason for liking it a lot.
In the end, if you want to keep your mint contained to the 7 inch planter, prune it continuously.
Pruning can easily happen if you use the leaves for cooking, drinks, desserts, etc. It’s certainly not a hardship because that’s exactly why we grow mint plants.
4. Viagrow 5 gallon Round Nursery Pot: Cheap Indoors & Outdoors Mint Containers
5 gallon plastic buckets are about 2 times more expensive than 5 gallon grow bags. If you want the cheaper option, choose the grow bags that are made from a very sturdy fabric and have handles.
On the other hand, 5 gallon buckets can be used indoors more easily as long as we can find a saucer that fits their size.
I love both grow bags and planter buckets in equal measure so it’s a bit hard to choose my favorite.
Size
I am a bit confused because Viagrow says 5 gallon buckets but they’re in fact 4.02 gal.15.19 liters planter buckets.
I seriously don’t understand what’s with the difference in size. In fact they’re actually 4.02 gallon plastic planters that basically look like buckets.
We get to choose from different sets: some will include 5 buckets others will include 6, 10, 10 or 24 buckets.
It depends how many plants you want to grow.
The size is good for growing a variety of plants.
Also, 5 gallon buckets are used for making hydroponic systems, they’re great containers for hydroponic systems for beginners who are on a budget.
But they’re equally good for soil cultures.
All in all, plastic buckets are not the prettiest containers but they’re big, affordable, and sturdy.
The dimensions for a 5 gallon nursery pot are: 12 inches diameter, 9.5 inches at the bottom, and 11.625 inches height.
Features
We get a bunch of drainage holes so we don’t have to do any work in this area, which is great.
If you’re using them outdoors, placed directly on the ground, you don’t need saucers.
However, you will need to find some trays if you’re moving your plants indoors and growing them indoors throughout the year.
We don’t get any handles but the rim design allows us to move them around quite easily.
5. Mayne 20×20 Square Planter
This is the biggest size among my picks for the best container for mint.
As a 20×20 container, it’s clear that this one is made for outdoors. However, if you live in a place with harsh winters, I wouldn’t recommend spending money on the Mayne 20×20 Square Planter if you can’t move it indoors during the winter. It’s just not worth it.
The 20×20 are the outside dimensions.
The inside dimensions are 15.5 x 15.5 x 13 inches.
Features
The overall design of this square planter is quite nice. I don’t think it looks as good as it should for that price but it’s still a pretty nice container. Maybe the square shape is something I’m not used to seeing all that often.
It is a plastic, square, black container.
It is made from 100% high-grade polyethylene resin. Overall, we could say that it’s durable, lightweight, and shock resistant.
Best Container For Mint Buying Guide
There are two main features to focus on: pot size and material. The size is more important than the material from which the containers are made.
Mint planter size: bigger is better
What truly matters for growing mint is the size of the container. This should be the focus when we’re picking the best container for mint.
The material from which the containers are made is not all that important. Plastic with drainage hole(s) will work very well, there’s no doubt about that.
We might start with a 6 inch planter if we don’t want to spend too much money at first but, if you take care of your plant, it will quickly need to be transplanted into a much bigger pot.
It’s not unusual to end up needing a 20 inch container for a mint plant.
As I’ve mentioned in my introduction, mint is an invasive plant that can develop an impressive root system. That’s why it’s advisable to grow it in containers and not in the garden where it will have no bounds for taking over a large space.
However, if we want to keep it from becoming root-bound, we need to provide appropriate space.
If the mint plant starts out in a smaller container and it soon outgrows its space, it will stop growing if we don’t transplant it into a bigger pot.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a bigger planter as it continues to grow and grow.
We should also understand that mint is a perennial so we can grow the same plant for years to come. It’s easy, as long as we provide it with the needed water, a good soil, pruning, and a temperature between 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 degrees C) to prevent it from flowering (bolting).
Material
It really doesn’t matter what material planters for mint are made from.
As you saw from my reviews, we can totally choose containers that are made from fabric, plastic, and even terracotta.
I don’t recommend terracotta pots as my favorite for the best container for mint because they’re more expensive. That’s a serious thing to consider when we consider that most of us will need very big pots for this sturdy herb.
Terracotta pots are heavier. If you want to move your containers indoors in the winter and outdoors during the warmer months, getting heavy pots is not a good idea.
Moreover, plastic won’t break if you drop it. We can’t say the same for terracotta pots.
Overall, plastic and fabric grow bags are my favorite materials for the best container for mint and many other plants.
