Want to Save Money Buying Plants this Year? How I Got 10 Mint Plants For the Price of 1!

Do you always tend to overspend on plants? I know I do! Today I am going to share one of my tricks to save money in the spring, and how I got 10 spearmint plants for the price of 1 this year!

Most herbs, and even tomatoes, are super easy to propagate from cuttings, and don’t require rooting hormones or anything other than a small jar and some water.

This spring I found a beautiful organic spearmint plant for $3. The same week, I cut off three little side shoots, removed their lower leaves and placed them in a jar of water. The next week, they had developed nice little roots, so I planted them in potting soil and took several more cuttings from the original plant. The next week I did the same thing again.

It only took minutes and in the end I ended up with ten beautiful spearmint plants, or $30 worth, for just $3!

How to propagate plants by cuttings

To take a cutting from a plant, find a healthy side shoot coming off the main plant. For most herbs, I look for a shoot that is 1-1 1/2″ long. Cut off the shoot with sharp scissors right where it joins the main stem.

Remove all but the top few leaves and place your cutting in a jar with a narrow mouth, filling water to the top. I like to use recycled peppermint extract bottles.

I keep my cuttings by the kitchen sink, where I can top off the water as needed and replace the water weekly to keep it fresh. When your cuttings have developed a nice set of roots, they are ready to be planted in soil in a pot or in your garden.

Another trick I use is to take a cutting off a tomato plant in late summer and plant it indoors in a sunny window – fresh tomatoes at Christmas anyone?

I hope you enjoyed this post, and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog (upper right) so you don’t miss fun articles about gardening, seed saving, chickens, horses, gluten free cooking, medicinal herbs and more!

-Kait